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Class. 
Book_ 



/ 3 

COLLECTtON 



SAKOONTALA; 



THE LOST RHSTG; 



AN" INDIAN" DEAMA, 



TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PEOSE AND VEKSE, 

FROM THE SANSKRIT OF KALIDASA : 
// 



BY 

MOOTER WILLIAMS, M.A., 

BODEN PROFESSOR OP SANSKRIT IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. 



FOURTH EDITION. 



LONDON: 
W M - H. ALLEN & CO., 13, WATERLOO PLACE. 

1872. 



VEBEfg COLLECT!** 

81600 






London : Wm. H. Allen & Co., Printers, 13, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, S.W. 



5 

i 
* 



TO THE MEMOBY 

OF 

COLONEL BODEN, 

OF THE HONOURABLE EAST-INDIA COMPANY'S SERVICE, 

WHO, 

BY HIS MUNIFICENT BEQUEST, 

HAS PROVIDED FOR THE PERPETUAL STUDY 

OF THE SANSKRIT LANGUAGE 

IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD; 

THIS VOLUME 

IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED, 
BY 

MONIER WILLIAMS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Oxly seventy years have elapsed since the great 
English Orientalist, Sir William Jones, astonished 
the learned world by the discovery of a Sanskrit 
Dramatic Literature. He has himself given us the 
history of this discovery. It appears that, on his 
arrival in Bengal, he was very solicitous to procure 
access to certain books called Nataks, of which he had 
read in one of the 'Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses,' 
written by the Jesuit Missionaries of China. But, 
although he sought information by consulting both 
Brahmans and Europeans, he was wholly unable for 
some time to satisfy his curiosity as to the nature of 
these books. It was reported to him that they were 
not histories, as he had hoped, but that they abounded 
with fables, and consisted of conversations in prose 
and verse held before ancient Rajas, in their public 
assemblies. Others, again, asserted that they were 
discourses on dancing, music, and poetry. At length, a 
sensible Brahman, conversant with European manners, 
removed all his doubts, and gave him no less delight 



vi INTRODUCTION. 



than surprise by telling him that the English nation 
had compositions of the same sort, which were publicly 
represented at Calcutta in the cold season, and bore 
the name of Plays. The same Brahman, when asked 
which of these Nataks was most universally esteemed, 
answered without hesitation, ' Sakoontala.' 

It may readily be imagined with what interest the 
keen Orientalist received this communication ; with 
what rapidity he followed up the clue ; and, when at 
length his zeal was rewarded by actual possession of a 
MS. copy of one of these dramas, with what avidity he 
proceeded to explore the treasures which for eighteen 
hundred years had remained as unknown to the Euro- 
pean world as the gold-fields of Australia. Indeed, it 
has now been ascertained that the antiquity of some of 
the Sanskrit dramas thus brought to light, extends back 
to a still more remote period than the commencement 
of the Christian era. 

The earliest with which we are acquainted, the 
1 Toy-cart/ translated by Professor H. H. Wilson,' is 
attributed to a regal author, King Sudraka, whose 
reign is generally fixed in the second century B.C., 
and it is not improbable that others, the names of 
which only have been preserved, may belong to a 
previous century. Considering that the nations of 
Europe can scarcely be said to have possessed a 



INTRODUCTION. T ji 



dramatic literature before the fourteenth or fifteenth 
century of the present era, the great age of the Hindu 
plays would of itself be a most interesting and attrac- 
tive circumstance, even if their poetical merit were not 
of a very high order. But when to the antiquity of 
these productions is added their extreme beauty and 
excellence as literary compositions, and when we also 
take into account their value as representations of the 
early condition of Hindu society — which, notwith- 
standing the lapse of two thousand years, has in many 
particulars obeyed the law of unchangeableness ever 
stamped on the manners and customs of the East — we 
are led to wonder that the study of the Indian drama 
has not commended itself in a greater degree to the 
attention of Europeans, and especially of Englishmen. 
The English student, at least, is bound by considera- 
tions of duty, as well as curiosity, to make himself 
acquainted with a subject which illustrates and explains 
the condition of the millions of Hindus who owe alle- 
giance to his own Sovereign and are governed by 
English laws. 

Of all Indian dramatists, and indeed of all Indian 
poets, the most celebrated is Kaiidasa, the writer of 
the present play. He comes next in date to the author 
of the * Toy-cart ' ; and although little is known of 
the circumstances of his life, yet there is satisfactory 



viii INTR OD TJGTION. 



evidence to prove that lie lived in the time of King 
Vikramaditya I., whose capital was Ujjayini, now 
Oujein (a sacred and very ancient city situated to the 
north-east of Gujarat), and who flourished in the middle 
of the century preceding the commencement of our era. 
From the absence of historical literature in India, 
our knowledge of the state of Hindustan between the 
incursion of Alexander and the Muhammadan conquest 
is very slight. But it is ascertained with tolerable 
accuracy that, after the invasion of the kingdoms 
of Bactria and Afghanistan, the Tartars or Scythians 
(called by the Hindus 'Sakas') overran the north- 
western provinces of India, and retained possession 
of them till the reign of Vikramaditya. This great 
monarch succeeded in driving back the barbaric hordes 
beyond the Indus, and so consolidated his empire that 
his dominion extended over the whole of Northern 
Hindustan. His name is even now cherished among 
the Hindus with pride and affection, and the date of 
his victory over the Scythians, B.C. 56, is the starting- 
point of the Samvat era, from which they still continue 
to count. There is good authority for affirming that 
the reign of Vikramaditya I. was equal in brilliancy 
to that of any monarch in any age or country. He 
was a liberal patron of science and literature, and gave 
the most splendid encouragement to poets, philologists, 



INTRODUCTION. { x 



astronomers, and mathematicians. Nine illustrious 
men of genius adorned his court, and were supported 
by his bounty. They were called the ' Nine Gems ' ; 
and Kalidasa is by general consent allowed to have 
been the brightest of the nine. To him (as to 
another celebrated Indian Dramatist, Bhavabhuti, who 
nourished in the eighth century) only three plays are 
attributed ; and of these the ' Sakoontala ' (here trans- 
lated) has acquired the greatest celebrity.* 

Indeed, the popularity of this play with the natives 
of India exceeds that of any other dramatic, and pro- 
bably of any other poetical composition. f But it is 

* Of the other two, the most celebrated, called Vikramorvas' i, has been 
excellently translated by Professor H. H. "Wilson, and will be found in his 
< Hindu Theatre.' 

f The following extract from the Bombay Times reached the Translator 
too late for insertion in the Preface to the previous editions. It is given 
literatim, and — in spite of the orthographical errors and ludicrous mutila- 
tion of the story — is an interesting proof of the popularity of the play. 

"HINDU DEAMA. 
"Saturday, 3rd February, 1855. 

" An outline of the play to be performed at the Grand Eoad Theatre 
this night. 

"Alter a short discourse between the Sutradhar (the chief actor) and 
the Vidushaka (the clown), Surswati (the Goddess of learning) will 
appear. Sutradhar will call his wife (Nati), and they will determine on 
performing the play of Shakuntala. They both will sing songs together, 
after which Nati will go away. The play will then regularly commence. 
Dushanta Eajah will appear in the Court, and order his Pradhan (the 



INTRODUCTION. 



not in India alone that the ' Sakoontala ■ is known and 
admired. Its excellence is now recognized in every 
literary circle throughout the continent of Europe ; and 
its beauties, if not yet universally known and appre- 
ciated, are at least acknowledged by many learned 
men in every country of the civilized world. The 



Minister) to make preparations for a hunting excursion. The Rajah 
sitting in his carriage will pursue a stag, the stag will disappear, upon 
which Dushanta will ask his coachman the cause thereof, this "being known, 
the Rajah in his carriage will proceed farther, when they will see the stag 
again, upon which he will aim an arrow at the stag. The stag will run 
and reach the retirement of Waikhanas Eushi. The sage will come out 
of his hut and remonstrate with the Rajah against his killing the harmless 
animal. The Rajah will obey the injunctions of the sage, Avho will pro- 
nounce benedictions upon him. According to the Rushi's instructions, he 
will prepare to proceed to the residence of another sage named Kunwa. 
Bidding each other farewell, the Rushi will go to procure material for his 
religious ceremonies. After reaching Kunwa' s place, and commanding 
his coachman to groom the horses, the Rajah will walk forth to the sage's 
hut. Observing on his way thither Shakuntala with her fellow mates 
watering the trees, he will hide himself behind a tree. Shakuntala will 
praise to her mates the beauty of the Keshar tree. Charmed with over- 
hearing her discourse, Dushanta will try to find out her descent. 
Shakuntala will be very much teased by a Bhramar (fly) hovering about 
her face. The Rajah will then come forward and ask the cause of the 
disturbed state of her mind. After a mutual exchange of polite respect 
they all take their seats beneath a shady tree, Dushanta will inform her of 
his country and descent, whereupon they will all go to the Rushi's hut. 
" Here there is a pause. A pleasing farce will then be performed." 

Oxford, May, 1872. In this fourth edition I may state that informa- 
tion has lately reached me from India that the ' Sakoontala ' in the words 
of this very translation has quite recently been performed at Bombay. 



INTRODUCTION. x [ 



four well-known lines of Goethe, so often quoted in 
relation to the Indian drama, may here be repeated : 

" Willst du die Bliithe des friihen, die Friichte des spateren Jahres, 
"Willst du was reizt und etziickt, willst du was sattigt und nahrt, 
"Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit einem JSamen begreifen : 
Nenn' ich Sakontala, Dich, und so ist Alles gesagt." 

""Wouldst thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline, 

And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted, fed ? 
"Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine ? 
I name thee, Sakoontala ! and all at once is said." 

Augustus William von Schlegel, in his first Lecture 
on Dramatic Literature, says : "Among the Indians, 
the people from whom perhaps all the cultivation of 
the human race has been derived, plays were known 
long before they could have experienced any foreign 
influence. It has lately been made known in Europe 
that they have a rich dramatic literature, which ascends 
back for more than two thousand years. The only speci- 
men of their plays (Nataks) hitherto known to us is 
the delightful ' Sakoontala/ which, notwithstanding the 
colouring of a foreign clime, bears in its general struc- 
ture a striking resemblance to our romantic drama." 

Alexander von Humboldt, in treating of Indian 
poetry, observes : " Kalidasa, the celebrated author 
of the * Sakoontala/ is a masterly describer of the influ- 
ence which Nature exercises upon the minds of lovers. 
This great poet flourished at the splendid court of 



xii INTM OB TJCTION. 



Yikramaditya, and was, therefore, cotemporary with 
Yirgil and Horace. Tenderness in the expression of 
feeling, and richness of creative fancy, have assigned 
to him his lofty place among the poets of all nations." 

These considerations induced me, in 1853, to com- 
pile and publish a correct edition of the text of the 
' Sakoontala ' from various original MSS., with English 
translations of the metrical passages, and explanatory 
notes, being in fact the only edition ever published in 
this country. To the notes of that edition I must 
refer all students of Sanskrit literature who desire a 
close and literal translation of the present drama. In 
the Preface I pledged myself at some future time to 
present the English public with a free translation of 
the whole play. That pledge is here redeemed, and 
the following pages contain the first English transla- 
tion, in prose and verse, of the true and pure version 
of the most celebrated drama of the Shakspere of India. 

The need felt by the British public for some 
such translation as I have here offered can scarcely 
be questioned. A great people, who, through their 
empire in India, command the destinies of the Eastern 
world, ought surely to be conversant with the most 
popular of Indian dramas, in which the customs of 
the Hindus, their opinions, prejudices, and fables, 
their religious rites, daily occupations and amuse- 



INTRODUCTION. x iii 



ments, are reflected as in a mirror. Nor is the prose 
translation of Sir W. Jones (excellent though it be) 
adapted to meet the requirements of the Englishman 
who, unacquainted with Sanskrit, desires an accurate 
representation of the original text, and notes to 
explain unintelligible allusions. That translation was 
unfortunately made from modern and corrupt manu- 
scripts (the best that could then be procured), in 
which the bold and nervous phraseology of Kalidasa 
has been weakened, his delicate expressions of refined 
love clothed in a meretricious dress, and his ideas, 
grand in their simplicity, diluted by repetition or 
amplification. It is, moreover, altogether unfurnished 
with explanatory annotations. The text of my edition, 
on the contrary, represents the old and pure version 
of the drama, and from that text the present translation 
has been made ; while abundant notes have been added, 
sufficient to answer the exigencies of the non- oriental 
scholar. Moreover, the metrical portions of the play 
have, for the first time, been rendered into verse. 

It may be remarked that in every Sanskrit play the 
women and inferior characters speak a kind of pro- 
vincial Sanskrit or patois, called Prakrit — bearing the 
same relation to Sanskrit that Italian bears to Latin, 
or that the spoken Latin of the age of Cicero bore to 
the highly polished Latin in which he delivered his 



x i V INTM OB TTCTION. 



Orations. Even the heroine of the drama is made to 
speak in the vulgar dialect. The hero, on the other 
hand, and all the higher male characters, speak in 
Sanskrit ; and, as if to invest them with greater dignity, 
half of what they say is in verse. Indeed the prose 
part of their speeches is often very common-place, being 
only introductory to the lofty sentiment of the poetry 
that follows. Thus, if the whole composition be com- 
pared to a web, the prose will correspond to the warp, 
or that part which is extended lengthwise in the loom, 
while the metrical portion will answer to the cross- 
threads which constitute the woof. The original verses 
are written in a great variety of Sanskrit metres. For 
example, the first thirty-four verses of ' Sakoontala ' 
exhibit eleven different varieties of metre. JSTo metrical 
system in English could give any idea of the almost 
infinite resources of the Sanskrit in this respect. Blank 
verse has therefore been employed, as more in unison 
with the character of our own dramatic writings, and 
rhyming stanzas have only been admitted when the 
subject-matter seemed to call for such a change. Per- 
haps the chief consideration that induced me to adopt 
this mode of metrical translation was, that the free 
and unfettered character of the verse enabled me to 
preserve more of the freshness and vigour of the 
original. If the poetical ideas of Kalidasa have not 



IX TR OJD VCTIOK. X V 



been expressed in language as musical as his own, 
I have at least done my best to avoid diluting them 
by paraphrastic circumlocutions or additions. If the 
English verses are prosaic, I have the satisfaction of 
knowing that by resisting the allurements of rhyme, 
I have done all in my power to avoid substituting a 
fictitious and meagre poem of my own for the grand, 
yet simple and chaste creation of Kalidasa. The unre- 
stricted liberty of employing hypermetrical lines of 
eleven syllables, sanctioned by the highest authority 
in dramatic composition, has, I think, facilitated the 
attainment of this object. One of our own poets has 
said in relation to such lines, ' Let it be remembered 
that they supply us with another cadence; th.at they 
add; as it were, a string to the instrument ; and — by 
enabling the poet to relax at pleasure, to rise and fall 
with his subject — contribute what is most wanted, 
compass and variety. They are nearest to the flow of 
an unstudied eloquence, and should therefore be used 
in the drama.' * Shakspere does not scruple to avail 
himself of this license four or five times in succession, 
as in the well-known passage beginning — 

" To be or not to be, that is the question ; " 

and even Milton uses the same freedom once or twice 
in every page. 

* Rogers' 'Italv,' note to line 23. 



Xvi INTRODUCTION. 



The poetical merit of Kalidasa's ' Sakoontala ' is so 
universally admitted that any remarks on this head 
would be superfluous. I will merely observe that, in 
the opinion of learned natives, the Fourth Act, which 
describes the departure of Sakoontala from the her- 
mitage, contains the most obvious beauties ; and that 
no one can read this act, nor indeed any part of the 
play, without being struck with the richness and 
elevation of its author's genius, the exuberance and 
glow of his fancy, his ardent love of the beautiful, 
his deep sympathy with Nature and Nature's loveliest 
scenes, his profound knowledge of the human heart, 
his delicate appreciation of its most refined feelings, 
his familiarity with its conflicting sentiments and 
emotions. But in proportion to the acknowledged 
excellence of Kalidasa's composition, and in proportion 
to my own increasing admiration of its beauties, is the 
diffidence I feel lest I may have failed to infuse any 
of the poetry of the original into the present version. 
Translation of poetry must, at the best, resemble the 
process of pouring a highly volatile and evanescent 
spirit from one receptacle into another. The original 
fluid will always suffer a certain amount of waste and 
evaporation. 

The English reader, remembering that the author 
of the ' Sakoontala ' lived in the century preceding the 



INTRODUCTION. xvii 



Christian era, will at least be inclined to wonder at 
the analogies which it offers to our own dramatic 
composition of fifteen or sixteen centuries later. The 
dexterity with which the plot is arranged and con- 
ducted, the ingenuity with which the incidents are 
connected, the skill with which the characters are 
delineated and contrasted with each other, the bold- 
ness and felicity of the diction, would scarcely be 
unworthy of the great dramatists of modern times. 
Nor does the parallel fail in the management of the 
business of the stage, in minute directions to the 
actors, and various scenic artifices. The asides and 
aparts, the exits and the entrances, the manner, atti- 
tude, and gait of the speakers, the tone of voice with 
which they are to deliver themselves, the tears, the 
smiles, and the laughter, are as regularly indicated as 
in a modern drama. 

In reference to the constitution and structure of 
the play here translated, a few general remarks on 
the dramatic system of the Hindus may not be in- 
appropriate.* 

Dramatic poetry is said to have been invented by 
the sage Bharata, who lived at a very remote period 
of Indian history, and was the author of a system of 

* The admirable Essay by Professor H. H. Wilson, prefixed to his 
' Hindu Theatre,' is the principal source of information on this subject. 

b 



xviii INTRODUCTION. 



music. The drama of these early times was prohably 
nothing more than a species of rude pantomime, in 
which music and dancing were accompanied by 
mute gesticulation. There is little trace of real 
dramatic dialogue until the second century B.C., and 
the art of theatrical representation was not brought to 
perfection till the era of Vikramaditya. In India, as 
in Greece, scenic entertainments took place at religious 
festivals, and on solemn public occasions. Kalidasa's 
' Sakoontala ' seems to have been acted at the com- 
mencement of the summer season — a period peculiarly 
sacred to Kama-deva, the Indian god of Love. We 
are told that it was enacted before an audience ' con- 
sisting chiefly of men of education and discernment.' 
As the greater part of every play was written in 
Sanskrit, which, although spoken in some portion 
of India at a remote period, was certainly not the 
vernacular language of the country at the time when 
the Hindu dramas were performed, few spectators 
would be present who were not of the learned and 
educated classes. This circumstance is in accordance 
with the constitution of Hindu society, whereby the 
productions of literature, as well as the offices of state, 
were reserved for the privileged castes.* 

* See Wilson's 'Hindu Theatre,' p. xiii. 



INTROD TJCTION. x i x 



Every play opens with a prologue, or, to speak 
more correctly, an introduction, designed to prepare 
the way for the entrance of the dramatis personce. The 
prologue commences with a benediction or prayer 
(pronounced by a Brahman, or if the stage-manager 
happened to be of the Brahmanical caste, by the 
manager himself), in which the poet invokes the 
favour of the national deity in behalf of the audience. 
The blessing is generally followed by a dialogue be- 
tween the manager and one or two of the actors, in 
which an account is given of the author of the drama, 
a complimentary tribute is paid to the critical acumen 
of the spectators, and such a reference is made to past 
occurrences or present circumstances as may be neces- 
sary for the elucidation of the plot. At the conclusion 
of the prologue, the manager, by some abrupt exclama- 
tion, adroitly introduces one of the dramatic personages, 
and the real performance commences. 

The play, being thus opened, is carried forward in 
scenes and acts; each scene being marked by the 
entrance of one character and the exit of another, as 
in the French drama. The dramatis personce were 
divided into three classes — the inferior characters 
(nicha), who were said to speak Prakrit in a monoto- 
nous unemphatic tone of voice (anuddttoktyd) ; the 
middling (madhyama), and the superior (pradhdna), 



XX INTRODUCTION. 



who were said to speak Sanskrit with accent, emphasis, 
and expression (uddttoktyd). In general, the stage is 
never left vacant till the end of an act, nor does any 
change of locality take place until then. The commence- 
ment of a new act is often marked, like the commencement 
of the piece, by an introductory monologue or dialogue 
spoken by one or more of the dramatis person®, and 
called Yishkambha or Pravesaka. In this scene allu- 
sion is frequently made to events supposed to have 
occurred in the interval of the acts, and the audience 
is the better prepared to take up the thread of the 
story, which is then skilfully carried on to the con- 
cluding scene. The piece closes, as it began, with a 
prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to 
the favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal 
personages of the drama. 

Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the 
delineation of character, the Hindu dramatists show 
considerable skill, yet they do not appear to have been 
remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, 
according to Hindu notions, is the subject of most 
of their dramas. The hero, who is generally a king, 
and already the husband of a wife or wives (for a wife 
or two more or less is no incumbrance in Indian 
plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely 
woman, sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of 



INTROB TICTION. x x [ 



Sakoontala, the daughter of a nymph by a mortal 
father. The heroine is required to be equally im- 
pressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's 
eye reaches her heart. With true feminine delicacy, 
however, she locks the secret of her passion in her 
own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps her 
lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. 
The hero, being reduced to a proper state of despera- 
tion, is harassed by other difficulties. Either the 
celestial nature of the nymph is in the way of their 
union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he 
fears his own un worthiness, or he is hampered by the 
angry jealousy of a previous wife. In short, doubts, 
obstacles and delays make great havoc of both hero 
and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge 
in amorous rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. 
So far, it must be confessed, the story is decidedly 
dull, and its pathos, notwithstanding the occasional 
grandeur and beauty of the imagery, often verges on the 
ridiculous. But, by way of relief, an element of life is 
generally introduced in the character of the Vidushaka, 
or Jester, who is the constant companion of the hero ; 
and in the young maidens, who are the confidential 
friends of the heroine, and soon become possessed of 
her secret. By a curious regulation, the Jester is 
always a Brahman, and therefore of a caste superior 



xxii INTR OD TJCTION. 



to the king himself; yet his business is to excite mirth 
by being ridiculous in person, age, and attire. He is 
represented as grey-haired, hump-backed, lame, and 
hideously ugly. In fact, he is a species of buffoon, 
who is allowed full liberty of speech, being himself a 
universal butt. His attempts at wit, which are rarely 
very successful, and his allusions to the pleasures 
of the table, of which he is a confessed votary, are 
absurdly contrasted with the sententious solemnity of 
the despairing hero, crossed in the prosecution of his 
love-suit. His clumsy interference in the intrigues 
of his friend only serves to augment his difficulties, 
and occasions many an awkward dilemma. On the 
other hand, the shrewdness of the heroine's confidantes 
never seems to fail them under the most trying circum- 
stances ; while their sly jokes and innuendos, their love 
of fun, their girlish sympathy with the progress of 
the love-affair, their warm affection for their friend, 
heighten the interest of the plot, and contribute not 
a little to vary its monotony. 

Fortunately, in the ' Sakoontala/ the story is 
diversified and the interest well sustained by a chain 
of stirring incidents. The first link of the chain, how- 
ever, does not commence until the Fourth Act, when 
the union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, 
and her acceptance of the marriage ring as a token of 



IXTX OD T7CTI0N. xx {{{ 



recognition, are supposed to have taken place. Then 
follows the King's departure and temporary desertion 
of his bride ; the curse pronounced on Sakoontala 
by the choleric Sage; the monarch's consequent loss 
of memory ; the bride's journey to the palace of her 
husband ; the mysterious disappearance of the marriage 
token ; the public repudiation of Sakoontala ; her mira- 
culous assumption to a celestial asylum ; the unex- 
pected discovery of the ring by a poor fisherman ; the 
King's agony on recovering his recollection ; his aerial 
voyage in the car of Indra ; his strange meeting with 
the refractory child in the groves of Kasyapa ; the 
boy's battle with the young lion ; the search for the 
amulet, by which the King is proved to be his father ; 
the return of Sakoontala, and the happy re-union of 
the lovers ; — all these form a connected series of mov- 
ing and interesting incidents. The feelings of the 
audience are wrought up to a pitch of great intensity ; 
and whatever emotions of terror, grief, or pity, may 
have been excited, are properly tranquilized by the 
happy termination of the story. Indeed, if a calami- 
tous conclusion be necessary to constitute a tragedy, 
the Hindu, dramas are never tragedies. They are 
mixed compositions, in which joy and sorrow, happi- 
ness and misery, are woven in a mingled web, — tragi- 
comic representations, in which good and evil, right 



XXIV INTRODUCTION. 



and wrong, truth and falsehood, are allowed to blend 
in confusion during the first acts of the drama. But, 
in the last act, harmony is always restored, order 
succeeds to disorder, tranquility to agitation ; and the 
mind of the spectator, no longer perplexed by the 
apparent ascendancy of evil, is soothed, and purified, 
and made to acquiesce in the moral lesson deducible 
from the plot. 

The play of ' Sakoontala,' as Sir W. Jones observes, 
must have been very popular when it was first per- 
formed. The Indian empire was then in its palmy days, 
and the vanity of the natives would be highly flattered 
by the introduction of those kings and heroes who were 
supposed to have laid the foundation of its greatness 
and magnificence, and whose names were connected 
with all that was sacred and holy in their religion. 
Dushyanta, the hero of the drama, according to Indian 
legends, was one of the descendants of the Moon, or, 
in other words, belonged to the Lunar d3masty of 
Indian princes ; and, if any dependance may be placed 
on Hindu chronology, he must have lived in the twenty- 
first or twenty-second generation after the Flood. Puru, 
his most celebrated ancestor, was the sixth in descent 
from the Moon's son Budha, who married a daughter 
of the good King Satya-vrata, preserved by Vishnu 
in the Ark at the time of the Deluge. The son of 



INTR OB UCTIO K xx v 



Dushyanta, by Sakoontala, was Bharata, from whom 
India is still called by the natives Bharata-varsha. 
After him came Samvarana, Kuril, Santanu, Bhishma, 
and Vyasa. The latter was the father of Dhritarashtra 
and Pandu, the quarrels of whose sons form the sub- 
ject of the great Sanskrit epic poem called Maha- 
bharata, a poem with which the audience would be 
quite familiar, and in which they would feel the 
greatest pride. 

The pedigree of Sakoontala, the heroine of the 
drama, was no less interesting, and calculated to 
awaken the religious sympathies of Indian spectators. 
She was the daughter of the celebrated Yiswamitra, a 
name associated with many remarkable circumstances 
in Hindu mythology and history. His genealogy and 
the principal events of his life are narrated in the 
Ramayana, the first of the two epic poems which were 
to the Hindus what the Iliad and the Odyssey were 
to the Greeks. He was originally of the regal caste ; 
and, having raised himself to the rank of a Brahman 
by the length and rigour of his penance, he became 
the preceptor of Ramachandra, who was the hero of 
the Ramayana, and one of the incarnations of the god 
Vishnu. With such antecedents, the audience could 
not fail to bring a sharpened appetite, and a self- 
satisfied frame of mind, to the performance of the play. 



xxvi INTRODUCTION. 



Although, in the following translation it has been 
thought expedient to conform to modern usage, by 
indicating at the head of each Act the scene in which 
it is laid, yet it is proper to apprize the English reader 
that in scenery and scenic apparatus the Hindu drama 
must have been very defective. ~No directions as to 
changes of scene are given in the original text of the 
play. This is the more curious, as there are numerous 
stage directions which prove that in respect of dresses 
and decorations the resources of the Indian theatre 
were sufficiently ample. 

It is probable that a curtain suspended across the 
stage, and divided in the centre, answered all the 
purposes of scenes. Behind the curtain was the space 
or room called nepathya, where the decorations were 
kept, where the actors attired themselves, and remained 
in readiness before entering the stage, and whither 
they withdrew on leaving it. When an actor was to 
enter hurriedly, he was directed to do so ' with a toss 
of the curtain.' 

The machinery and paraphernalia of the Indian 
theatre were also very limited, contrasting in this 
respect unfavourably with the ancient Greek theatre, 
which appears to have comprehended nearly all that 
modern ingenuity has devised. Nevertheless, seats, 
thrones, weapons, and chariots, were certainly intro- 



INTRODUCTION. XX vii 



duced, and as the intercourse between the inhabitants 
of heaven and earth was very frequent, it is not im- 
probable that there may have been aerial contrivances 
to represent the chariots of celestial beings, as on the 
Greek stage. It is plain, however, from the frequent 
occurrence of the word ndtayiticd, ' gesticulating,' 
' acting,' that much had to be supplied by the imagina- 
tion of the spectator, assisted by the gesticulations of 
the actors. 

For further information relative to the dramatic 
system of the Hindus, the reader is referred to the 
notes appended to the present translation. It is hoped 
that they will be found sufficient to explain every 
allusion that might otherwise be unintelligible to the 

English reader. 

M. W. 

East-India College, Haileybury, 
January, 1856. 



FOUBTH EDITION. 



Very little alteration has been made in the present 
edition, for the simple reason that I have not been able 
to discover much to alter. As the book is intended 
mainly for English readers, it has been thought on the 
whole advisable to retain the spelling of Sanskrit 
words most likely to secure a correct pronunciation. It 
is right, however, to notify that the method adopted in 
the following pages is not quite in harmony with the 
system of transliteration employed by me in the 
1 Sanskrit-English Dictionary ' and * Practical Sanskrit 
Grammar ' published by the Delegates of the Clarendon 
Press, Oxford. 

Monier Williams. 

Oxford, May, 1872. 






PERSONS REPRESENTED. 



Dushyanta, King of India. 

MIthayya, the jester, friend and companion of the King. 

Kaitwa, chief of the hermits, foster-father of SakoontalI. 

S'aeistgaeaya, \ two brdhmans, belonging to the hermitage of 

S'aeadwata, ) Kajt^a. 

Miteayasu, brother-in-law of the King, and superintendent of 
the city police. 

Janijka and Suct ta tta, two constables. 

Vatayana, the chamberlain or attendant on the ivomen's apart- 
ments. 

SomaeIta, the domestic priest. 

Eaeabhaea, a messenger of the queen-mother. 

Raiyatika, the warder or doorkeeper. 

MAtali, charioteer of Indra. 

Saeya-damak-a, afterwards Rhaeata, a little bog, son of 
Dtjshyanta by SaxoontalA. 

Kasyapa, a divine sage, progenitor of men and gods, son of 
Maeichi, and grandson of ReahmI. 



XXX PERSONS REPRESENTED. 

S'akooettala, daughter of the sage YiswImitea and the nymph 

Menaka, foster-child of the hermit Kanwa. 
Pbiyamvaea and AjsasuyI, female attendants, companions of 

S'aeoontaea. 
Gatttami, a holy matron, superior of the female inhabitants of 

the hermitage. 
Yasumati, the Queen of Dttseyanta. 
Santjmati, a nymph, friend of S'akoontaia. 
Taeaeika, personal attendant of the King. 
Chatumea, personal attendant of the Queen. 
Yeteavati, female warder or doorkeeper. 
Paea-bhbiteka" and Madhu-eaexka, maidens in charge of the 

royal gardens. 
SuvbatI, a nurse. 
Ajditi, wife of Easyapa ; grand- daughter of BbahhI, through 

her father Daksha. 

Chaeioteee, Pisheehan, Offtcees, and Heemits. 



EULES FOR THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE 
PROPER NAMES. 



Observe, that in order to secure the correct pronunciation 
of the title of this Drama, ' Sakuntala ' has been spelt 
' S'akoontala,' the u being pronounced like the u in the 
English word rule. 

The vowel a must invariably be pronounced with a dull 
sound, like the a in organ, or the u in fun, sun. Bushy anta 
must therefore be pronounced as if written Dooshyunta. The 
long vowel a is pronounced like the a in last, cart ; i like 
the i in pin, sin; i like the i in marine; e like the e in 
prey ; o like the o in so; ai like the ai in aisle; au like 
cm in the German word haum, or like the ou in our. 

The consonants are generally pronounced as in English, 
but g has always the sound of g in gun, give, never of g 
in gin. S with the accent over it (s), has the sound of 
s in sure, or of the last s in session. 




SAKOONTALA; 



OR, 



THE LOST BIffG. 



PROLOGUE, 



BENEDICTION". 

Isa preserye you ! 1 he who is revealed 

In these eight forms 2 by man perceptible — 

"Water, of all creation's works the first ; 

The Tire that bears on high the sacrifice 

Presented with solemnity to heaven ; 

The Priest, the holy offerer of gifts ; 

The Sun and Moon, those two majestic orbs, 



2 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING, [prologue. 

Eternal marshallers of day and night ; 

The subtle Ether, vehicle of sound, 

Diffused throughout the boundless universe ; 

The Earth, by sages called ' The place of birth 

Of all material essences and things ' ; 

And Air, which giveth life to all that breathe. 

STAGE-MANAGER. 
[After the recitation of the benediction.'] 

[Looking towards the tiring-room. 

Lady, when you have finished attiring yourself, come this 

way. 

ACTRESS. [Entering. 

Here I am, Sir ; what are your commands ? 

STAGE-MANAGER. 

We are here before the eyes of an audience of educated 
and discerning men ; 3 and have to represent in their presence 
a new drama composed by Kalidasa, called ' S'akoontala, or 
the Lost Ring.' 4 Let the whole company exert themselves 
to do justice to their several parts. 

ACTRESS. 

You, Sir, have so judiciously managed the cast of the 
characters, that nothing will be defective in the acting. 



prologue.] SAEOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 3 

STAGE-MA^AGEE. 

Lady, I will tell you the exact state of the case. 
No skill in acting can I deem complete, 
Till from the wise the actor gain applause : 
Know that the heart e'en of the truly skilful, 
Shrinks from too boastful confidence in self. 

ACTRESS. \_Modestly. 

You judge correctly. And now, what are your commands ? 

STAGE-MANAGER. 

What can you do better than engage the attention of the 
audience by some captivating melody ? 

ACTRESS. 

"Which among the seasons shall I select as the subject of 
my song ? 

STAGE-MANAGER. 

You surely ought to give the preference to the present 
Summer season 5 that has but recently commenced, a season 
so rich in enjoyment. For now 

Unceasing are the charms of halcyon days, 
When the cool bath exhilarates the frame ; 



4 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING, [prologue. 

When sylvan gales are laden with the scent 
Of fragrant Patalas ; 6 when soothing sleep 
Creeps softly on beneath the deepening shade ; 
And when, at last, the dulcet calm of eve 
Entrancing steals o'er every yielding sense. 

ACTEESS. 

I will. [Sings. 

Fond maids, the chosen of their hearts to please, 

Intwine their ears with sweet S'irisha flowers, 7 
"Whose fragrant lips attract the kiss of bees 

That softly murmur through the summer hours. 

STAGE-MANAGER. 

Charmingly sung ! The audience are motionless as statues, 
their souls riveted by the enchanting strain. What subject 
shall we select for representation, that we may ensure a 
oontinuance of their favour ? 

ACTEESS. 

Why not the same, Sir, announced by you at first ? Let 
the drama called ' S'akoontala, or the Lost Ring,' be the 
subject of our dramatic performance. 



prologue.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 

STAGE-MANAGEE. 

Rightly reminded ! For the moment I had forgotten it. 
Your song's transporting melody decoyed 
Mj thoughts, and rapt with ecstasy my soul ; 
As now the bounding antelope allures 
The King Dushyanta 8 on the chase intent. 




SAKOONTALA; OS, THE LOST MING. [act i. 



ACT I. 

Scene — A Forest. 

Enter King Dtjshyanta, armed with a low and arrow, in a 

chariot, chasing an antelope, attended by his Charioteer. 

CHARIOTEER. 
[Looking at the deer, and then at the King. 

Great Prince, 

When on the antelope I bend my gaze, 

And on your Majesty, whose mighty bow 

Has its string firmly braced ; before my eyes 

The god that wields the trident 9 seems revealed, 

Chasing the deer that flies from him in vain. 

" KINO. 

Charioteer, this fleet antelope has drawn us far from my 
attendants. See ! there he runs : 

Aye and anon his graceful neck he bends 

To cast a glance at the pursuing car ; 

And dreading now the swift-descending shaft, 

Contracts into itself his slender frame : 

About his path, in scattered fragments strewn, 

The half-chewed grass falls from his panting mouth ; 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 7 

See ! in his airy bounds he seems to fly, 
And leaves no trace upon th' elastic turf. 

[ With astonishment. 
How now ! swift as is our pursuit, I scarce can see him. 

CHAEIOTEEE. 

Sire, the ground here is full of hollows ; I have therefore 
drawn in the reins and checked the speed of the chariot. 
Hence the deer has somewhat gained upon us. Now that 
we are passing over level ground, we shall have no difficulty 
in overtaking him. 

KING. 

Loosen the reins, then. 

CHAEIOTEEE. 

The King is obeyed. [Drives the chariot at full speed.] Great 
Prince, see ! see ! 

Eesponsive to the slackened rein, the steeds, 

Chafing with eager rivalry, career 

"With emulative fleetness o'er the plain ; 

Their necks outstretched, their waving plumes, that late 

Fluttered above their brows, are motionless ; 10 

Their sprightly ears, but now erect, bent low ; 

Themselves unsullied by the circling dust, 

That vainly follows on their rapid course. 



8 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST MING. [act i. 

KING. [Joyously. 

In good sooth, the horses seem as if they would outstrip 
the steeds of Indra and the Sun. 11 

That which but now shewed to my view minute 
Quickly assumes dimension ; that which seemed 
A moment since disjoined in diverse parts, 
Looks suddenly like one compacted whole ; 
That which is really crooked in its shape 
In the far distance left, grows regular ; 
"Wondrous the chariot's speed, that in a breath, 
Makes the near distant and the distant near. 
Now, Charioteer, see me kill the deer. {Takes aim. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Hold, King ! this deer belongs to our hermitage. Kill 
it not ! kill it not ! 

CHAHIOTEEE. [Listening and looking. 

Great King, some hermits have stationed themselves so as 
to screen the antelope at the very moment of its coming 
within range of your arrow. 

KING. [Hastily. 

Then stop the horses. 

CHAKIOTEEE. 

I obey. [Stops the chariot. 



act I.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 9 

Enter a Hermit, and two others with him. 

HERMIT. [Raising his hand. 

This deer, King, belongs to our hermitage. Kill it 
not ! kill it not ! 

Now heaven forbid this barbed shaft descend 
Upon the fragile body of a fawn, 
Like fire upon a heap of tender flowers ! 
Can thy steel bolts no meeter quarry find 
Than the warm life-blood of a harmless deer ? 
Eestore, great Prince, thy weapon to its quiver 
More it becomes thy arms to shield the weak, 
Than to bring anguish on the innocent. 

KING. 
TlS done. [Replaces the arrow in its quiver. 

HERMIT. 
Worthy is this action of a Prince, the light of Puru's 
race. 12 

"Well does this act befit a Prince like thee, 
Eight worthy is it of thine ancestry. 
Thy guerdon be a son of peerless worth, 
Whose wide dominion shall embrace the earth. 



10 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act i. 

BOTH THE OTHEE HEBMITS. 

[Raising their hands. 
May heaven indeed grant thee a son, a sovereign of the 
earth from sea to sea ! 

KING. [Bowing. 

I accept with gratitude a Brahman's benediction. 

HEKMIT. 

"We came hither, mighty Prince, to collect sacrificial wood. 
Here on the banks of the Malinf yon may perceive the 
hermitage of the great sage Kanwa. 13 If other duties 
require not your presence, deign to enter and accept our 
hospitality. 

"When you behold our penitential rites 
Performed without impediment by Saints 
Rich only in devotion, then with pride 
"Will you reflect, Such are the holy men 
"Who call me Guardian ; such the men for whom 
To wield the bow I bare my nervous arm, 
Scarred by the motion of the glancing string. 

ETNXJ. 

Is the Chief of your Society now at home ? 

HERMIT. 

Ko; he has gone to Soma-tirtha u to propitiate Destiny, 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 11 

which threatens his daughter Sakoontala with some calamity ; 
but he has commissioned her in his absence to entertain all 
guests with hospitality. 

KING. 

Good ! I will pay her a visit. She will make me acquainted 
with the mighty sage's acts of penance and devotion. 

HEEMIT. 

And we will depart on our errand. 

[Exit with his companions. 

KING. 

Charioteer, urge on the horses. "We will at least purify 
our souls by a sight of this hallowed retreat. 

CHAEIOTEEE. 

Your Majesty is obeyed. 

[Drives the chariot with great velocity. 

MfG. [Looking all about him. 

Charioteer, even without being told, I should have known 

that these were the precincts of a grove consecrated to 

penitential rites. 

CHARIOTEER. 

How so ? 

KING. 

Do not you observe ? 

Beneath the trees, whose hollow trunks afford 
Secure retreat to many a nestling brood 



12 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act i. 

Of parrots, scattered grains of rice lie strewn. 
Lo ! here and there are seen the polished slahs 
That serve to bruise the fruit of Ingudi. 15 
The gentle roe-deer, taught to trust in man, 
Unstartled hear our voices. On the paths 
Appear the traces of bark-woven vests 16 
Borne dripping from the limpid fount of waters. 
And mark ! 

Laved are the roots of trees by deep canals, 17 
"Whose glassy waters tremble in the breeze ; 
The sprouting verdure of the leaves is dimmed 
By dusky wreaths of upward curling smoke 
From burnt oblations ; and on new-mown lawns 
Around our car graze leisurely the fawns. 

CHARIOTEER. 

I observe it all. 

KESTG. [Advancing a little further. 

The inhabitants of this sacred retreat must not be disturbed. 
Stay the chariot, that I may alight. 

CHARIOTEER. 

The reins are held in. Your Majesty may descend. 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 13 

KING. [Alighting. 

Charioteer, groves devoted to penance must be entered in 
humble attire. Take these ornaments. [Delivers his ornaments 
and bow to the Charioteer.] Charioteer, see that the horses are 
watered, and attend to them until I return from visiting the 
inhabitants of the hermitage. 

CHAEIOTEEK. 

I will. [Exit. 

KING. [ Walking and looking about. 

Here is the entrance to the hermitage. I will now go in. 
[Entering and feeling a throbbing sensation in his arm. 
Serenest peace is in this calm retreat, 
By passion's breath unruffled; what portends 
My throbbing arm ? 18 Why should it whisper here 
Of happy love ? Yet everywhere around us 
Stand the closed portals of events unknown. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

This way, my dear companions ; this way. 

KING. [Listening. 

Hark ! I hear voices to the right of yonder grove of trees. 
I will walk in that direction. [ Walking and looking about.] Ah ! 
here are the maidens of the hermitage coming this way to 



14 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act i. 

water the shrubs, carrying watering-pots proportioned to 
their strength. [Gazing at them.'] How graceful they look ! 

In palaces such charms are rarely ours ; 

The woodland plants outshine the garden flowers. 
I will conceal myself in this shade and watch them. 

[Stands gazing at them. 

Enter Saxoontala, with her two female companions, employed 
in the manner described. 

SAKOOtfTALA. 

This way, my dear companions ; this way. 

ANAstfYl. 

Dear Sakoontala, one would think that father Kanwa had 
more affection for the shrubs of the hermitage even than for 
you, seeing he assigns to you, who are yourself as delicate as 
the fresh-blown jasmine, the task of filling with water the 
trenches which encircle their roots. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Dear Anasuya, although I am charged by my good father 
with this duty, yet I cannot regard it as a task. I really 
feel a sisterly love for these plants. {Continues watering the shrubs. 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 15 

KING. 

Can this be the daughter of Kanwa? The saintly man, 
though descended from the great Kasyapa, must be very 
deficient in judgment to habituate such a maiden to the 
life of a recluse. 

The sage who would this form of artless grace 
Inure to penance, — thoughtlessly attempts 
To cleave in twain the hard acacia's stem 19 
"With the soft edge of a blue lotus-leaf. 
Well ! concealed behind this tree, I will watch her without 
raising her suspicions. [Conceals himself. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Good Anasuya, Priyamvada has drawn this bark-dress too 
tightly about my chest. I pray thee, loosen it a little. 

ANASUYA. 
I will. [Loosens it.'] 

priyamvadA. [Smiling. 

"Why do you lay the blame on me ? Blame rather your own 
blooming youthfulness which imparts fulness to your bosom. 

KING. 

A most just observation ! 

This youthful form, whose bosom's swelling charms 
By the bark's knotted tissue are concealed, 



16 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act i. 

Like some fair bud close folded in its sheath, 
Gives not to view the blooming of its beauty. 
But what am I saying? In real truth this bark-dress, though 
ill-suited to her figure, sets it off like an ornament. 
The lotus 20 with the S'aivala 21 entwined 
Is not a whit less brilliant : dusky spots 
Heighten the lustre of the cold-rayed moon : 
This lovely maiden in her dress of bark 
Seems all the lovelier. E'en the meanest garb 
Gives to true beauty fresh attractiveness. 

SAKOONTALA. [Looking before her. 

Yon Kesara-tree 22 beckons to me with its young shoots, 

which, as the breeze waves them to and fro, appear like 

slender fingers. I will go and attend to it. 

[ Walks towards it. 
PKIYAMVADi. 

Dear S'akoontala, prithee, rest in that attitude one moment. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Why so? 

PEIYAMVADl. 

The Kesara-tree, whilst your graceful form bends about its 
stem, appears as if it were wedded to some lovely twining 
creeper. 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 17 

SAKOONTALA. 

All ! saucy girl, you are most appropriately named Priyam- 
vada (' Speaker of flattering things'). 

XING. 

"What Priyamvada says, though complimentary, is never- 
theless true. Yerily, 

Her ruddy lip vies with the opening bud ; 
Her graceful arms are as the twining stalks ; 
And her whole form is radiant with the glow 
Of youthful beauty, as the tree with bloom. 

ANAStJYA. 

See, dear S'akoontala, here is the young jasmine, which you 
named l the Moonlight of the Grove,' the self-elected wife of 
the mango-tree. Have you forgotten it ? 

SAKOONTALA. 
Rather will I forget myself. [Approaching the plant and looking 
at it.] How delightful is the season when the jasmine-creeper 
and the mango-tree seem thus to unite in mutual embraces ! 
The fresh blossoms of the jasmine resemble the bloom of a 
young bride, and the newly-formed shoots of the mango 
appear to make it her natural protector. [Continues gazing at it. 

2 



18 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST MING. [act i. 

PKIYAMVADX. [Smiling. 

Do you know, my Anasuya, why S'akoontala gazes so 
intently at the jasmine ? 

ANASITYi. 

No, indeed, I cannot imagine. I pray thee tell me. 

PEIYAMVADi. 

She is wishing that as the jasmine is united to a suitable 
tree, so, in like manner, she may obtain a husband worthy of 
her. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Speak for yourself, girl ; this is the thought in your own 
mind. [Continues watering theJZowers. 

KING. 

"Would that my union with her were permissible ! 23 and yet 
I hardly dare hope that the maiden is sprung from a caste 
different from that of the Head of the hermitage. But away 
with doubt : 

That she is free to wed a warrior-king 
My heart attests. For, in conflicting doubts, 
The secret promptings of the good man's soul 
Are an unerring index of the truth. 
However, come what may, I will ascertain the fact. 



Acr i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 19 

SAKOONTALA. [Jh afairry. 

Ah ! a bee, disturbed by the sprinkling of the water, has 
left the young jasmine, and is trying to settle on my face. 

[Attempts to drive it away, 

EXTSTGr. [Gazing at her ardently, 

Beautiful ! there is something charming even in her repulse. 
Where'er the bee his eager onset plies, 
Now here, now there, she darts her kindling eyes : 
What love hath yet to teach, fear teaches now, 
The furtive glances and the frowning brow. 

[In a tone of envy. 
Ah, happy bee ! how boldly dost thou try 
To steal the lustre from her sparkling eye ; 
And in thy circling movements hover near, 
To murmur tender secrets in her ear : 
Or, as she coyly waves her hand, to sip 
Voluptuous nectar from her lower lip ! 
While rising doubts my heart's fond hopes destroy, 
Thou dost the fulness of her charms enjoy. 

SAKOONTALA. 

This impertinent bee will not rest quiet. I must move 
elsewhere. [Moving a few steps off, and casting a glance around.^ 



20 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act i. 

How now ! he is following me here. Help! my dear friends, 
help ! deliver me from the attacks of this troublesome insect. 

PEIYAMVADA AND ANAStJYA. # 

How can we deliver you ? Call Dushyanta to your aid. 
The sacred groves are under the King's special protection. 

XING. 

An excellent opportunity for me to show myself. Fear 
not — [Checks himself when the words are half-uttered. Aside.] But 
stay, if I introduce myself in this manner, they will know 
me to be the King. Be it so, I will accost them, nevertheless. 

SAKOONTAll. 

[Moving a step or two further off. 
What ! it still persists in following me. 

EQJG-. [Advancing hastily.'- 

"When mighty Puru's offspring sways the earth, 
And o'er the wayward holds his threatening rod, 
"Who dares molest the gentle maids that keep 
Their holy vigils here in Kanwa's grove ? 

[All look at the King, and are embarrassed. 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. 21 

AITAStJTX. 

Kind Sir, no outrage has been committed ; only our dear 
friend here was teased by the attacks of a troublesome bee. 

[Points to Sakoontala. 

KING. 

[Turning to Sakoontala. 
I trust all is well with your devotional rites ? 24 

[Sakooxtala stands confused and silent. 

ANAStJYl. 

All is well, indeed, now that we are honoured by the re- 
ception of a distinguished guest. Dear S'akoontala, go, bring 
from the hermitage an offering of flowers, rice, and fruit. 
This water that we have brought with us will serve to bathe 
our guest's feet. 25 

KING. 

The rites of hospitality are already performed ; your truly 
kind words are the best offering I can receive. 

PETTAMVADl. 

At least be good enough, gentle Sir, to sit down awhile, 
and rest yourself on this seat shaded by the leaves of the 
Sapta-parna tree. 26 



22 SAKOONTALA ; OB, THE LOST RING. [act i. 

xma. 
You, too, must all be fatigued by your employment. 

ANASUYi. 

Dear S'akoontala, there is no impropriety in our sitting by 
the side of our guest : come, let us sit down here. 

[All sit down together. 

SAKOONTAli. [Aside. 

How is it that the sight of this man has made me sensible 
of emotions inconsistent with religious vows? 

KING. 

[Gazing at them all by turns. 
How charmingly your friendship is in keeping with the 
equality of your ages and appearance ! 

PRITAMVADi.. [Aside to Anasuya. 

Who can this person be, whose lively yet dignified manner, 
and polite conversation, bespeak him a man of high rank ? 

ANASTJTA. 

I, too, my dear, am very curious to know. I will ask him 
myself. [Aloud.'] Your kind words, noble Sir, fill me with 
confidence, and prompt me to inquire of what regal family 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 23 

our noble guest is the ornament? what country is now 
mourning his absence? and what induced a person so 
delicately nurtured to expose himself to the fatigue of 
visiting this grove of penance ? 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

Be not troubled, my heart, Anasuya is giving utterance 

to thy thoughts. 

king. [Aside. 

How now shall I reply ? shall I make myself known, or 
shall I still disguise my real rank? I have it; I will answer 
her thus. [Aloud.] I am the person charged by his majesty, 
the descendant of Puru, with the administration of justice 
and religion; and am come to this sacred grove to satisfy 
myself that the rites of the hermits are free from obstruction. 

anasutI. 
The hermits, then, and all the members of our religious 
society, have now a guardian. 

[Sakoontala gazes bashfully at the King. 

PKIYAHVADi. AND ANAStJYl. 

[Perceiving the state of her feelings, and of the 

King's. Aside to Sakoontala. 

Dear Sakoontala, if father Kanwa were but at home to-day — 



24 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act i. 

SAKOONTALa. [Angrily. 

"What if he were ? 

peiyamvad! and anastjyI. 
He would honour this our distinguished guest with an 
offering of the most precious of his possessions. 

SAKOONTAXl. 

Go to ! you have some silly idea in your minds. I will not 
listen to such remarks. 

KING. 

May I be allowed, in my turn, to ask you maidens a few 
particulars respecting your friend ? 

PKIYAMVADl AND ANASUYi. 

Your request, Sir, is an honour. 

KING. 

The sage Xanwa lives in the constant practice of austerities. 
How, then, can this friend of yours be called his daughter ? 

ANASUrl. 

I will explain to you, Sir. You have heard of an illustrious 
sage of regal caste, Yiswamitra, whose family name is 
Kausika. 27 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RIXG. 25 

XING. 

I have. 

ANASUYA. 

Know that he is the real father of our friend. The 
venerable Kanwa is only her reputed father. He it was 
who brought her up, when she was deserted by her mother. 

KING. 

1 Deserted by her mother ! ' My curiosity is excited ; pray 
let me hear the story from the beginning. 

ANASIJYA. 

You shall hear it, Sir. Some time since, this sage of regal 
caste, while performing a most severe penance on the banks 
of the river Godavari, excited the jealousy and alarm of the 
gods ; insomuch that they despatched a lovely nymph named 
Menaka to interrupt his devotions. 

XING. 

The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous 28 of the power 
which the practice of excessive devotion confers on mortals. 

ANASUTl. 

"Well then, it happened that Yiswamitra, gazing on the 
bewitching beauty of that nymph at a season when, spring- 
being in its glory [Stops short, and appears confused. 



26 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act i. 

king. 
The rest may be easily divined. Sakoontala, then, is the 
offspring of the nymph. 

ANASUYA. 

Just so. 

KING. 

It is quite intelligible. 

How could a mortal to such charms give birth ? 
The lightning's radiance flashes not from earth. 

[Sakoontala remains modestly seated with downcast eyes. 
[Aside.] And so my desire has really scope for its indulgence. 
Yet I am still distracted by doubts, remembering the pleasantry 
of her female companions respecting her wish for a husband. 

PRIYAMVADA. 
[Looking with a smile at Sakoontala, and then 
turning towards the King. 
You seem desirous, Sir, of asking something further. 

[Sakoontala makes a chiding gesture with her finger. 

KING. 

You conjecture truly. I am so eager to hear the par- 
ticulars of your friend's history, that I have still another 
question to ask. 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 27 

PEIYAMVADi. 

Scruple not to do so. Persons who lead the life of hermits 
may he questioned unreservedly. 

KING. 

I wish to ascertain one point respecting your friend. 
Will she he hound hy solitary tows 
Opposed to love, till her espousals only ? 
Or ever dwell with these her cherished fawns, 
"Whose eyes, in lustre vying with her own, 
Return her gaze of sisterly affection ? 

PEIYAMVADi. 

Hitherto, Sir, she has heen engaged in the practice of 
religious duties, and has lived in subjection to her foster- 
father; hut it is now his fixed intention to give her away 
in marriage to a husband worthy of her. 

king. [Aside. 

His intention may he easily carried into effect. 
Be hopeful, my heart, thy harrowing doubts 
Are past and gone ; that which thou didst believe 
To be as unapproachable as fire, 
Is found a glittering gem that may be touched. 

SAKOONTALi. \l\etending anger. 

Anasuya, I shall leave you. 



28 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST MING. [act i. 

ANAStlYA. 

Why so? 

SAKOONTALA. 

That I may go and report this impertinent Priyamvada to 
the venerable matron, Gautami. 29 

ANAStJYA. 

Surely, dear friend, it would not be right to leave a dis- 
tinguished guest before he has received the rites of hospitality, 
and quit his presence in this wilful manner. 

[Sakoontala, without answering a word, moves away. 

KING. 

[Making a movement to arrest her departure, 
but checking himself. Aside. 
Ah ! a lover's feelings betray themselves by his gestures. 
When I would fain have stayed the maid, a sense 
Of due decorum checked my bold design : 
Though I have stirred not, yet my mien betrays 
My eagerness to follow on her steps. 

PRIYAMVADA. 

[Holding Sakoontala back. 
Dear Sakoontala, it does not become you to go away in this 
manner. 



act i.] SAXOOXTAZA; OB, TEE LOST BLXG. 29 

SAKOOXTALi. [Frowning. 

"Why not, pray ? 

PEIYAMVADA. 

You are "under a promise to water two more shrubs for 

me. "When you have paid your debt, you shall go, and not 

before. [Forces her to turn back. 

Krxa. 

Spare her this trouble, gentle maiden. The exertion of 

watering the shrubs has already fatigued her. 

The water-jar has overtasked the strength 

Of her slim arms ; her shoulders droop, her hands 

Are ruddy with the glow of quickened pulses ; 

E'en now her agitated breath imparts 

Unwonted tremor to her heaving breast ; 

The pearly drops that mar the recent bloom 

Of the S'irisha pendent in her ear, 

Gather in clustering circles on her cheek ; 

Loosed is the fillet of her hair : her hand 

Restrains the locks that struggle to be free. 

Suffer me, then, thus to discharge the debt for you. 

[Offers a ring to Pbiyamvada. Both the maidens, 
reading the name Dushyaxta on the seal, look 
at each other with surprise. 



30 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act i. 

KING. 

Nay, think not that I am King Dushyanta. I am only the 
King's officer, and this is the ring which I have received from 
him as my credentials. 

PKIYAMVADi. 

The greater the reason you ought not to part with the ring 
from your finger. I am content to release her from her 
obligation at your simple request. [With a smile.] Now, 
S'akoontala, my love, you are at liberty to retire, thanks to the 
intercession of this noble stranger, or rather of this mighty 
prince. 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

My movements are no longer under my own control. 
[Aloud.'] Pray, what authority have you over me, either to 
send me away or keep me back ? 

KING. 

[Gazing at Sakoontala. Aside. 
Would I could ascertain whether she is affected towards 
me as I am towards her ! At any rate, my hopes are free to 
indulge themselves. Because, 

Although she mingles not her words with mine, 
Yet doth her listening ear drink in my speech ; 



act i.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 31 



Although, her eye shrinks from my ardent gaze, 
Ko form but mine attracts its timid glances. 



A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

hermits, be ready to protect the animals belonging to our 
hermitage. King Dushyanta, amusing himself with hunting, 
is near at hand. 

Lo ! by the feet of prancing horses raised, 

Thick clouds of moving dust, like glittering swarms 

Of locusts in the glow of eventide, 

Fall on the branches of our sacred trees ; 

Where hang the dripping vests of woven bark, 

Eleached by the waters of the cleansing fountain. 

And see ! 

Scared by the royal chariot in its course, 
With headlong haste an elephant invades 
The hallowed precincts of our sacred grove ; 
Himself the terror of the startled deer, 
And an embodied hindrance to our rites. 
The hedge of creepers clinging to his feet, 
Feeble obstruction to his mad career, 
Is dragged behind him in a tangled chain ; 



32 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST MING. [act i. 

And with terrific shock one tusk he drives 
Into the riven body of a tree, 
Sweeping before him all impediments. 

KING. [Aside. 

Out upon it! my retinue are looking for me, and are 
disturbing this holy retreat. Well ! there is no help for it ; 
I must go and meet them. 

PEIYAMVADA AND ANAstfri. 

Noble Sir, we are terrified by the accidental disturbance 
caused by the wild elephant. Permit us to return into the 
cottage. 

KING. [Hastily. 

Go, gentle maidens. It shall be our care that no injury 

happen to the hermitage. [All rise up. 

PEIYAMVADi AND ANASUYA. 

After such poor hospitality, we are ashamed to request the 
honour of a second visit from you. 

KING. 

Say not so. The mere sight of you, sweet maidens, has 
been to me the best entertainment. 



act i.] SAKOOXTALA; OB, TEE LOST BIXG. 33 

SAKOOXTALA. 

Anasuya, a pointed blade of Rasa-grass 3n has pricked my 
foot; and my "bark-mantle is caught in the branch of a 
Kuruvaka-bush. 31 Be so good as to wait for me until I have 
disentangled it. 

[Exit with her two companions, after making pretexts 
for delay, that she may steal glances at the Kixg. 

KING. 

I have no longer any desire to return to the city. I will 
therefore rejoin my attendants, and make them encamp some- 
where in the vicinity of this sacred grove. In good truth, 
S'akoontala has taken such possession of my thoughts, that 
I cannot turn myself in any other direction. 

My limbs drawn onward leave my heart behind, 
Like silken pennon borne against the wind. 




34 SAKOOSTAZA; OS, THE LOST SING. [act h. 



ACT II. 

Scene. — A plain on the shirts of the forest. 
Enter the Jester™ MXthavya, in a melancholy mood. 

MiTHAVTA. [Sighing. 

Heigh-ho ! what an unlucky fellow I am ! worn to a shadow 
by my royal friend's sporting propensities. ' Here's a deer ! ' 
' There goes a boar ! ' ' Yonder' s a tiger ! ' This is the only 
burden of our talk, while in the heat of the meridian sun 
we toil on from jungle to jungle, wandering about in the paths 
of the woods, where the trees afford us no shelter. Are we 
thirsty ? "We have nothing to drink but the foul water of 
some mountain stream, filled with dry leaves which give it a 
most pungent flavour. Are we hungry ? "We have nothing 
to eat but roast game, 33 which we must swallow down at odd 
times, as best we can. Even at night there is no peace to be 
had. Sleeping is out of the question, with joints all strained 
by dancing attendance upon my sporting friend ; or if I do 
happen to doze, I am awakened at the very earliest dawn by 



act ii.] SAKOOXTALA; OS, THE LOST SING. 35 

the horrible din of a lot of rascally beaters and huntsmen, 
who must needs surround the ■wood before sunrise, and deafen 
me with their clatter. ISTor are these my only troubles. 
Here's a fresh grievance, like a new boil rising upon an old 
one ! Yesterday, while we were lagging behind, my royal 
friend entered yonder hermitage after a deer ; and there, as 
ill-luck would have it, caught sight of a beautiful girl, called 
S'akoontala, the hermit's daughter. Prom that 'moment, not 
another thought about returning to the city! and all last 
night not a wink of sleep did he get for thinking of the 
damsel. What is to be done ? At any rate I will be on the 
watch for him as soon as he has finished his toilet. [ Walking 
and looking about.'] Oh! here he comes, attended by the 
Yavana women, 34 with bows in their hands, and wearing 
garlands of wild flowers. "What shall I do ? I have it. I 
will pretend to stand in the easiest attitude for resting my 
bruised and crippled limbs. [Stands leaning on a staff. 

Enter King Dtjshyanta, followed by a retinue in the manner 
described. 

True, by no easy conquest may I win her, 
Yet are my hopes encouraged by her mien. 



36 SAKOONTALA; OE, TEE LOST EING. [act n. 

Love is not yet triumphant ; but, methinks, 

The hearts of both are ripe for his delights. 

[Smiling.] Ah! thus does the lover delnde himself; judging 

of the state of his loved one's feelings by his own desires. 

But yet, 

The stolen glance with half-averted eye, 
The hesitating gait, the quick rebuke 
Addressed to her companion, who would fain 
Have stayed her counterfeit departure ; these 
Are signs not unpropitious to my suit. 
So eagerly the lover feeds his hopes, 
Claiming each trivial gesture for his own. 

MATH A VTA. 

[Still in the same attitude. 

Ah, Mend, my hands cannot move to greet you with the 
usual salutation. I can only just command my lips to wish 
your Majesty victory. 

XING. 

"Why, what has paralysed your limbs ? 

MATHAVYA. 

You might as well ask me how my eye comes to water 
after you have poked your finger into it. 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TSE LOST RIXG. 37 

KING. 

I don't understand you ; speak more intelligibly. 

mathayya. 
Ah, my dear friend, is yonder upright reed transformed 
into a crooked plant by its own act, or by the force of the 
current ? 

KDTG. 

The current of the river causes it, I suppose. 

mIthayta. 
Aye ; just as you are the cause of my crippled limbs. 

EIXG. 

How so ? 

MATHAYYA. 

Here are you living the life of a wild man of the woods 

in a savage unfrequented region, while your state affairs are 

left to shift for themselves; and as for poor me, I am no 

longer master of my own limbs, but have to follow you about 

day after day in your chases after wild animals, till my bones 

are all crippled and out of joint. Do, my dear friend, let me 

have one day's rest. 

KTXG. [Aside. 

This fellow little knows, while he talks in this manner, that 



38 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act ii. 

my mind is wholly engrossed by recollections of the hermit's 
daughter, and quite as disinclined to the chase as his own. 
ISo longer can I bend my well-braced bow 
Against the timid deer ; nor e'er again 
With well-aimed arrows can I think to harm 
These her beloved associates, who enjoy 
The privilege of her companionship ; 
Teaching her tender glances in return. 

MATHAVYA. 

\Loohing in the King's face. 
I may as well speak to the winds, for any attention you 
pay to my requests. I suppose you have something on your 
mind, and are talking it over to yourself. 



KING. 

I was only thinking that I ought not to disregard a friend's 
request. 

MATHAVYA. 

Then may the King live for ever ! [Moves off. 

XING. 

Stay a moment, my dear friend. I have something else to 
say to you. 



act n.l SAKOOXTALA ; OR, THE LOST EIXG. 39 

lEATHAYYA. 

Say on, then. 

KIXG. 

TYhen you have rested, you must assist me in another busi- 
ness, which will give you no fatigue. 

ITATHAVYA. 

In eating something nice, I hope. 

KEXG. 

You shall know at some future time. 

iTATHATTA. 

jNo time better than the present. 

KTXG. 

AVhat ho ! there. 

WAEDEE. [Entering. 

What are your Majesty's commands ? 

KLXG. 

Baivatika ! bid the General of the forces attend. 

WAEDEE . 

1 will, Sire. [Exit and re-enters with the General.] Come for- 
ward, General; his Majesty is looking towards you, and has 
some order to give you. 



40 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. [act n. 

GENERAL. [ Looking at the King. 

Though hunting is known to produce ill effects, my royal 

master has derived only benefit from it. For 
Like the majestic elephant that roams 
O'er mountain wilds, so does the King display 
A stalwart frame, instinct with vigorous life. 
His brawny arms and manly chest are scored 
By frequent passage of the sounding string ; 
Unharmed he bears the mid-day sun ; no toil 
His mighty spirit daunts ; his sturdy limbs, 
Stripped of redundant flesh, relinquish nought 
Of their robust proportions, but appear 
In muscle, nerve, and sinewy fibre cased. 

[Approaching the King.] Victory to the King ! "We have tracked 

the wild beasts to their lairs in the forest. Why delay, when 

everything is ready ? 

KINO. 

My friend Mathavya here has been disparaging the chase, 
till he has taken away all my relish for it. 

GENERAL. [Aside to Mathavya. 

Persevere in your opposition, my good fellow : I will sound 
the King's real feelings, and humour him accordingly. [Aloud.] 



act xl] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 41 

The blockhead talks nonsense, and your Majesty in your 
own person furnishes the best proof of it. Observe, Sire, 
the advantage and pleasure the hunter derives from the chase. 
Freed from all grosser influences, his frame 
Loses its sluggish humours, and becomes 
Buoyant, compact, and fit for bold encounter. 
'Tis his to mark with joy the varied passions, 
Fierce heats of anger, terror, blank dismay, 
Of forest animals that cross his path. 
Then what a thrill transports the hunter's soul, 
When, with unerring course, his driven shaft 
Pierces the moving mark ! Oh ! 'tis conceit 
In moralists to call the chase a vice ; 
What recreation can compare with this ? 

MATHAVYA. [Angrily. 

Away ! tempter, away ! The King has recovered his senses, 

and is himself again. As for you, you may, if you choose, 

wander about from forest to forest, till some old bear seizes 

you by the nose, and makes a mouthful of you. 

KING. 

My good General, as we are just now in the neighbourhood 



42 SAKOONTALA; OH, THE LOST RING. [act ii. 

of a consecrated grove, your panegyric upon hunting is some- 
what ill-timed, and I cannot assent to all you have said. For 
the present, 

All undisturbed the buffaloes shall sport 

In yonder pool, and with their ponderous horns 

Scatter its tranquil waters, while the deer, 

Couched here and there in groups beneath the shade 

Of spreading branches, ruminate in peace. 

And all securely shall the herd of boars 

Feed on the marshy sedge ; and thou, my bow, 

"With slackened string, enjoy a long repose. 

GENERAL. 

So please your Majesty, it shall be as you desire. 

XING. 

Eecal, then, the beaters who were sent in advance to 
surround the forest. My troops must not be allowed to dis- 
turb this sacred retreat, and irritate its pious inhabitants. 
Know that within the calm and cold recluse 
Lurks unperceived a germ of smothered flame, 
All-potent to destroy ; a latent fire 
That rashly kindled bursts with fury forth : 



act ii.] SAEOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST EIXG. 43 

As in the disc of ciystal 35 that remains 
Cool to the touch, until the solar ray 
Fall on its polished surface, and excite 
The burning heat that lies within concealed. 

GEygRATi. 

Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. 

MATHAYTA. 

Off with you, you son of a slave ! Your nonsense wont 
go down here, my fine fellow. [Exit General. 

KING. 

[Looking at his attendants. 
Here, women, take my hunting-dress ; and you, Kaivatika, 
keep guard carefully outside. 

ATTENDANTS. 

We will, Sire. {Exeunt. 

MATHATYA. 

£fow that you have got rid of these plagues, who have been 
buzzing about us like so many flies, sit down, do, on that 
stone slab, with the shade of the tree as your canopy, and I 
will seat myself by you quite comfortably. 



44 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act ii. 

KING. 

Go you, and sit down first. 

MATHAVYA. 

Come along, then. 

[Both walk on a little way, and seat themselves. 

KING. 

Mathavya, it may be said of you that you have never 
beheld anything worth seeing: for your eyes have not yet 
looked upon the loveliest object in creation. 

MATHAVYA. 

How can you say so, when I see your Majesty before me 
at this moment ? 

KING. 

It is very natural that every one should consider his own 
friend perfect ; but I was alluding to S'akoontala, the brightest 
ornament of these hallowed groves. 

MATHAVYA. [Aside. 

I understand well enough, but I am not going to humour 
him. [Aloud.'] If, as you intimate, she is a hermit's 
daughter, you cannot lawfully ask her in marriage. You 
may as well then dismiss her from your mind, for any good 
the mere sight of her can do. 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. 45 

KING. 

Think you that a descendant of the mighty Puru could fix 

his affections on an unlawful object ? 

Though, as men say, the offspring of the sage, 
The maiden to a nymph celestial owes 
Her being, and by her mother left on earth, 
"Was found and nurtured by the holy man 
As his own daughter, in this hermitage ; — 
So, when dissevered from its parent stalk, 
Some falling blossom of the jasmine, 36 wafted 
Upon the sturdy sun-flower, is preserved 
By its support from premature decay. 

mathavya. [Smiling. 

This passion of yours for a rustic maiden, when you have 

so many gems of women at home in your palace, seems to me 

very like the fancy of a man who is tired of sweet dates, and 

longs for sour tamarinds as a variety. 

You have not seen her, or you would not talk in this 
fashion. 

MATHAVYA. 

I can quite understand it must require something 



46 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST ZING. [act n. 

surpassingly attractive to excite the admiration of such a 
great man as you. 

XING. 

I will describe her, my dear friend, in a few words. 
Man's all- wise Maker, wishing to create 
A faultless form, whose matchless symmetry 
Should far transcend Creation's choicest works, 
Did call together by his mighty will, 
And garner up in his eternal mind, 
A bright assemblage of all lovely things : 
And then, as in a picture, fashion them 
Into one perfect and ideal form. 
Such the divine, the wondrous prototype, 
Whence her fair shape was moulded into being. 

MATHAVYA. 

If that's the case, she must indeed throw all other beauties 
into the shade. 

king. 
To my mind she really does. 

This peerless maid is like a fragrant flower, 
"Whose perfumed breath has never been diffused ; 






act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OS, TEE LOST RING. 47 

A tender bud, that no profaning hand 

Has dared to sever from its parent stalk ; 

A gem of priceless water, just released 

Pure and unblemished from its glittering bed. 

Or may the maiden haply be compared 

To sweetest honey, that no mortal lip 

Has sipped ; or, rather, to the mellowed fruit 

Of virtuous actions in some former birth, 37 

Now brought to full perfection ? Lives the man 

Whom bounteous heaven has destined to espouse her '? 

hatha vya. 
Make haste, then, to her aid ; you have no time to lose, if 
you don't wish this fruit of all the virtues to drop into the 
mouth of some greasy-headed rustic of devout habits. 

KING. 

The lady is not her own mistress, and her foster-father is 
not at home. 

MATHAVYA. 

Well, but tell me, did she look at all kindly upon you ? 

XING. 

Maidens brought up in a hermitage are naturally shy and 
reserved ; but for all that, 



48 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act if. 

She did look towards me, though she quick withdrew 

Her stealthy glances when she met my gaze ; 

She smiled upon me sweetly, but disguised 

With maiden grace the secret of her smiles. 

Coy love was half unveiled ; then, sudden checked 

By modesty, left half to be divined. 

MATHAVYA. 

Why, of course, my dear friend, you never could seriously 
expect that at the very first sight she would fall over head 
and ears in love with you, and without more ado come and 
sit in your lap. 

KING. 

When we parted from each other, she betrayed her liking 
for me by clearer indications, but still with the utmost 
modesty. 

Scarce had the fair one from my presence passed, 
When, suddenly, without apparent cause, 
She stopped, and, counterfeiting pain, exclaimed, 
1 My foot is wounded by this prickly grass.' 
Then, glancing at me tenderly, she feigned 
Another charming pretext for delay, 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. 49 

Pretending that a bush had caught her robe 
And turned as if to disentangle it. 

MATH A VTA. 

I trust you have laid in a good stock of provisions, for I see 
you intend making this consecrated grove your game-preserve, 
and will be roaming here in quest of sport for some time to 
come. 

KING. 

You must know, my good fellow, that I have been recog- 
nised by some of the inmates of the hermitage. Now I want 
the assistance of your fertile invention, in devising some 
excuse for going there again. 

HATHA VYA. 

There is but one expedient that I can suggest. You are 
the King, are you not ? 

KING. 

What then? 

MATHAVXA. 

Say you have come for the sixth part of their grain, 38 
which they owe you for tribute. 

KDs T G. 

No, no, foolish man ; these hermits pay me a very different 

4 



50 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act ii. 

kind of tribute, which I value more than heaps of gold or 

jewels; observe, 

The tribute which my other subjects bring 
Must moulder into dust, but holy men 
Present me with a portion of the fruits 
Of penitential services and prayers — 
A precious and imperishable gift. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

We are fortunate ; here is the object of our search. 

KING. [Listening. 

Surely those must be the voices of hermits, to judge by 
their deep tones. 

WAEDEE. [Entering. 

Victory to the King! two young hermits are in waiting 
outside, and solicit an audience of your Majesty. 

KING. 

Introduce them immediately. 

WAEDEE. 
I will, my liege. [Goes out, and re-enters with Two Young 
Hermits.] This way, Sirs, this way. 

[Both the Hekmits look at the King. 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OE, THE LOST EIXG. 51 

FIRST HEEITIT. 

How majestic is his mien, and yet what confidence it 
inspires! But this might he expected in a king, whose 
character and hahits have earned for him a title only one 
degree removed from that of a Saint. 39 

In this secluded grove, whose sacred joys 
All may participate, he deigns to dwell 
Like one of us ; and daily treasures up 
A store of purest merit for himself, 
Ey the protection of our holy rites. 
In his own person wondrously are joined 
Both majesty and saintlike holiness : 
And often chanted hy inspired bards, 40 
His hallowed title of ' Imperial Sage ' 
Ascends in joyous accents to the skies. 

SECOND HEEinT. 

Bear in mind, Gautama, that this is the great Lushyanta, 
the friend of Indra. 

ELRST HEEini. 

^What of that ? 

SECOND HERMIT. 

"Where is the wonder if his nervous arm, 
Puissant and massive as the iron bar 



52 SAKOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RING. [act it. 

That binds a castle-gateway, singly sways 

The sceptre of the universal earth, 

E'en to its dark-green boundary of waters ? 

Or if the gods, beholden to his aid 

In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell, 41 

Should blend his name with Indra's in their songs 

Of victory, and gratefully accord 

No lower meed of praise to his braced bow, 

Than to the thunders of the god of heaven ? 

BOTH THE HERMITS. [Approaching. 

Victory to the King ! 

KING. [Rising from his seat. 

Hail to you both ! 

BOTH THE HERMITS. 

Heaven bless your Majesty ! [They offer fruits. 

KING. 

[Respectfully receiving the offering. 
Tell me, I pray you, the object of your visit. 

BOTH THE HERMITS. 

The inhabitants of the hermitage, having heard of your 
Majesty's sojourn in our neighbourhood, make this humble 
petition. 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 53 

KING. 

What are their commands ? 

BOTH THE HERMITS. 

In the absence of our Superior, the great Sage Kanwa, evil 
demons are disturbing our sacrificial rites. 42 Deign, therefore, 
accompanied by your charioteer, to take up your abode in our 
hermitage for a few days. 

king. 
I am honoured by your invitation. 

mathavya. [Aside. 

Most opportune and convenient, certainly ! 

EIXG. [Smiling. 

Ho ! there, Raivatika ! Tell the charioteer from me to 
bring round the chariot with my bow. 

WARDER. 

I will, Sire. [Exit. 

both the hermits. [Joyfully. 

Well it becomes the King by acts of grace 
To emulate the virtues of his race. 
Such acts thy lofty destiny attest ; 
Thy mission is to succour the distressed. 



54 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act ii. 

king-. [Bowing to the Hermits. 

Go first, reverend Sirs, I will follow you immediately. 

BOTH THE HEKMITS. 

May victory attend you ! [Exeunt. 

KING. 

My dear Mathavya, are not you full of longing to see 
S'akoontala ? 

MATHAVYA. 

To tell you the truth, though I was just now brim-full of 
desire to see her, I have not a drop left since this piece of 
news about the demons. 

KING. 

JSTever fear ; you shall keep close to me for protection. 

mIthavta. 
Well, you must be my guardian-angel, and act the part of 
a very Yishnu 43 to me. 

WAEDEE. [Entering. 

Sire, the chariot is ready, and only waits to conduct you to 

victory. But here is a messenger named Karabhaka, just, 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RING. 55 

arrived from your capital, with a message from the Queen, 
your mother. 

KING. [Respectful! I/. 

How say you ? a messenger from the venerable Queen ? 

WAKDEK. 

Even so. 

KING. 

Introduce him at once. 

WAKDER. 
I will, Sire. [Goes out and re-enters with Karabhaka.] Behold 
the King. Approach. 

KAKABHAKA. 

Victory to the King ! The Queen-mother bids me say that 
in four days from the present time she intends celebrating a 
solemn ceremony for the advancement and preservation of her 
son. She expects that your Majesty will honour her with 
your presence on that occasion. 

KING. 

This places me in a dilemma. Here, on the one hand, is 
the commission of these holy men to be executed ; and, on 
the other, the command of my revered parent to be obeyed. 



56 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act ii. 

Both duties are too sacred to be neglected. What is to be 
done? 

MATHAVYA. 

You will have to take up an intermediate position between 
the two, like King Trisanku, 44 who was suspended between 
heaven and earth, because the sage Yiswamitra commanded 
him to mount up to heaven, and the gods ordered him down 
again. 

KING. 

I am certainly very much perplexed. For here, 
Two different duties are required of me 
In widely distant places ; how can I 
In my own person satisfy them both ? 
Thus is my mind distracted and impelled 
In opposite directions, like a stream 
That, driven back by rocks, still rushes on, 
Forming two currents in its eddying course. 
[Reflecting.'] Friend Mathavya, as you were my playfellow 
in childhood, the Queen has always received you like a second 
son ; go you, then, back to her, and tell her of my solemn 
engagement to assist these holy men. You can supply my 
place in the ceremony, and act the part of a son to the 
Queen. 



act ii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 57 

MATHAYYA. 

With the greatest pleasure in the world ; but don't suppose 
that I am really coward enough to have the slightest fear of 
those trumpery demons. 

KING. [Smiling. 

Oh! of course not; a great Brahman like you could not 
possibly give way to such weakness. 

MATHAYYA. 

You must let me travel in a manner suitable to the King's 
younger brother. 

KING. 

Yes, I shall send my retinue with you, that there may be 
no further disturbance in this sacred forest. 

MATHAYYA. [ With a strut. 

Already I feel quite like a young prince. 

king. [Aside. 

This is a giddy fellow, and in all probability he will let 
out the truth about my present pursuit to the women of the 
palace. What is to be done? I must say something to 
deceive him. [Aloud to Mathavya, taking him by the hand.] Dear 
friend, I am going to the hermitage wholly and solely out of 



58 SAEOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST ZING. [act ii. 

respect for its pious inhabitants, and not because I have really 
any liking for Sakoontala, the hermit's daughter. Observe, 
"What suitable communion could there be 
Between a monarch and a rustic girl ? 
I did but feign an idle passion, friend, 
Take not in earnest what was said in jest. 

MATHAVYA. 

Don't distress yourself ; I quite understand. 

[Exeunt. 




act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 



59 




PRELUDE TO ACT III. 

Scene. — The Hermitage. 

Enter a Young Beahman carrying bundles of Kusa-grass for 
the %ise of the sacrificing priest. 

YOUNG- BEAHMAN. 

How wonderful is the power of King Dushyanta! No 
sooner did he enter our hermitage, than we were able to pro- 
ceed with our sacrificial rites, unmolested by the evil demons. 

No need to fix the arrow to the bow ; 

The mighty monarch sounds the quivering string, 



60 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act nr. 

And, by the thunder of his arms dismayed, 

Our demon foes are scattered to the wind. 

I must now, therefore, make haste and deliver to the 

sacrificing priests these bundles of Kusa-grass, to be strewn 

round the altar. [ Walking and looking about ; then addressing some 

one off the stage.'] Why, Priyamvada, for whose use are you 

carrying that ointment of TJsira-root 45 and those lotus leaves 

with fibres attached to them? [Listening for her answer.] What 

say you I — that S'akoontala is suffering from fever produced 

by exposure to the sun, and that this ointment is to cool her 

burning frame ? Nurse her with care, then, Priyamvada, for 

she is cherished by our reverend superior as the very breath 

of his nostrils. 46 I, for my part, will contrive that soothing 

waters, hallowed in the sacrifice, be administered to her by 

the hands of Gautami. 

[Exit. 




act in.] SAKOONTALA ; OB, TEE LOST SING. 61 



ACT III. 

Scene — The Sacred Grove. 

Enter King Dtjshyanta, with the air of one in love. 

KING. [Sighing thoughtfully. 

The holy sage possesses magic power 
In virtue of his penance ; she, his ward, 
Under the shadow of his tutelage, 
Eests in security. I know it well ; 
Yet sooner shall the rushing cataract 
In foaming eddies re-ascend the steep, 
Than my fond heart turn hack from its pursuit. 
God of Love ! God of the flowery shafts ! 47 we are all of us 
cruelly deceived "by thee, and hy the Moon, however deserving 
of confidence you may hoth appear. 

For not to us do these thine arrows seem 
Pointed with tender flowerets ; not to us 
Doth the pale moon irradiate the earth 
With beams of silver fraught with cooling dews : 



62 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act in. 

But on our fevered frames the moon-beams fall 
Like darts of fire, and every flower-tipt shaft 
Of Kama, 47 as it probes our throbbing hearts, 
Seems to be barbed with hardest adamant. 
Adorable god of love ! hast thou no pity for me ? [In a tone 
of anguish.] How can thy arrows be so sharp when they are 
pointed with flowers ? Ah ! I know the reason : 
E'en now in thine unbodied essence lurks 
The fire of S'iva's anger, 48 like the flame 
That ever hidden in the secret depths 
Of ocean, smoulders there unseen. 49 How else 
Could' st thou, all immaterial as thou art, 
Inflame our hearts thus fiercely ? — thou, whose form 
"Was scorched to ashes by a sudden flash 
From the offended god's terrific eye. 
Tet, methinks, 

"Welcome this anguish, welcome to my heart 
These rankling wounds inflicted by the god, 
Who on his scutcheon bears the monster-fish 50 
Slain by his prowess : welcome death itself, 
So that, commissioned by the lord of love, 
This fair one be my executioner. 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 63 

Adorable divinity ! Can I by no reproaches excite your 
commiseration ? 

Have I not daily offered at thy shrine 
Innumerable vows, the only food 
Of thine ethereal essence ? Are my prayers 
Thus to be slighted ? Is it meet that thou 
Should' st aim thy shafts at thy true votary's heart, 
Drawing thy bow-string even to thy ear? 
[Pacing up and down in a melancholy manner.] Now that the holy 
men have completed their rites, and have no more need of my 
services, how shall I dispel my melancholy? [Sighing.'] I 
have but one resource. Oh for another sight of the idol of 
my soul ! I will seek her. [Glancing at the sun.] In all pro- 
bability, as the sun's heat is now at its height, Sakoontala is 
passing her time under the shade of the bowers on the 
banks of the Malini, attended by her maidens. I will go and 
look for her there. [Walking and looking about.] I suspect the 
fair one has but just passed by this avenue of young 
trees. 

Here, as she tripped along, her fingers plucked 
The opening buds : these lacerated plants, 
Shorn of their fairest blossoms by her hand, 



64 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEH LOST RING, [act hi 

Seem like dismembered trunks, whose recent wounds 
Are still unclosed ; while from the bleeding socket 
Of many a severed stalk, the milky juice 
Still slowly trickles, and betrays her path. 
[Feeling a breeze. - ] What a delicious breeze meets me in this 
spot! 

Here may the zephyr, fragrant with the scent 
Of lotuses, and laden with the spray 
Caught from the waters of the rippling stream, 
Fold in its close embrace my fevered limbs. 
[Walking and looking about.] She must be somewhere in the 
neighbourhood of this arbour of overhanging creepers enclosed 
by plantations of cane ; [Looking down.] 

For at the entrance here I plainly see 
A line of footsteps printed in the sand. 
Here are the fresh impressions of her feet ; 
Their well-known outline faintly marked in front, 
More deeply towards the heel ; betokening 
The graceful undulation of her gait. 51 
I will peep through those branches. [ Walking and looking. With 
transport.] Ah ! now my eyes are gratified by an entrancing 
sight. Yonder is the beloved of my heart reclining 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 65 

on a rock strewn with flowers, and attended by her two 
friends. How fortunate! Concealed behind the leaves, I 
will listen to their conversation, without raising their 
suspicions. [Stands concealed, and gazes at them. 

Sakoontala, and her two attendants, holding fans in their 
hands, are discovered as described. 

PEIYAIIVADA AXD AK"AS"DTA. 

[Fanning her. In a tone of affection. 
Dearest S'akoontala, is the breeze raised by these broad 
lotus-leaves refreshing to you ? 

SAKOOXTALA. 

Dear friends, why should you trouble yourselves to fan me ? 
[Phiyamvada and Anasuta look sorrowfully at one another. 

S'akoontala seems indeed to be seriously ill. [Thoughtfully.] 
Can it be the intensity of the heat that has affected her ? or 
does my heart suggest the true cause of her malady ? [Gazing 
at her passionately.'] ^VTry should I doubt it ? 

The maiden's spotless bosom is o'erspread 
"With cooling balsam ; on her slender arm 
Her only bracelet, twined with lotus-stalks, 



66 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST KING. [act in. 

Hangs loose and withered : her recumbent form 
Expresses languor. Ne'er could noon-day sun 
Inflict such fair disorder on a maid — 
No, love, and love alone, is here to blame. 

peiyamvadX. 

[Aside to Anasuya. 
I have observed, Anasuya, that S'akoontala has been in- 
disposed ever since her first interview with King Dushyanta. 
Depend upon it, her ailment is to be traced to this source. 

ANASTJYl. 

The same suspicion, dear, has crossed my mind. But I 
will at once ask her and ascertain the truth. [Aloud.] Dear 
S'akoontala, I am about to put a question to you. Tour 
indisposition is really very serious. 

sakoontalI. 

[Half-rising from her couch. 
"What were you going to ask ? 

AtfASITYA. 

"We know very little about love-matters, dear S'akoontala ; 
but for all that, I cannot help suspecting your present state to 
be something similar to that of the lovers we have read about 
in romances. Tell us frankly what is the cause of your 



act in.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, TEH LOST RING. 67 

disorder. It is useless to apply a remedy, until the disease 
be understood. 

KING. 

Anasuya bears me out in my suspicion. 

saxoo:ntaxa. [Aside. 

I am, indeed, deeply in love ; but cannot rashly disclose 
my passion to these young girls. 

PEIYAMVADA. 

^Vhat Anasuya says, dear S'akoontala, is very just. "Why 
give so little heed to your ailment ? Every day you are 
becoming thinner ; though I must confess your complexion is 
still as beautiful as ever. 

KTN T G. 

Priyamvada speaks most truly. 

Sunk is her velvet cheek ; her wasted bosom 
Loses its fulness ; e'en her slender waist 
Grows more attenuate ; her face is wan, 
Her shoulders droop ; — as when the vernal blasts 
Sear the young blossoms of the Madhavi, 52 
Blighting their bloom ; so mournful is the change, 
Yet in its sadness, fascinating still, 



68 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act hi. 

Inflicted by the mighty lord of love 

On the fair figure of the hermit's daughter. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Dear friends, to no one would I rather reveal the nature of 
my malady than to you ; but I should only be troubling you. 

PEIYAMTADi AND ANASTTYA. 

Nay, this is the very point about which we are so solicitous. 
Sorrow shared with affectionate friends is relieved of half its 
poignancy. 

KING. 

Pressed by the partners of her joys and griefs, 
Her much beloved companions, to reveal 
The cherished secret locked within her breast, 
She needs must utter it ; although her looks 
Encourage me to hope, my bosom throbs 
As anxiously I listen for her answer. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Know then, dear friends, that from the first moment the 
illustrious Prince who is the guardian of our sacred grove 
presented himself to my sight — [Slops short, and appears confused. 

PBLYAMVADA AND ANASTJTi. 

Say on, dear Sakoontala, say on. 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE* LOST RING. 69 

SAKOONTALA. 

Ever since that happy moment, my heart's affections have 
been fixed upon him, and my energies of mind and body have 
all deserted me, as you see. 

XING. [With rapture. 

Her own lips have uttered the words I most longed to hear. 
Love lit the flame, and Love himself allays 
My burning fever, as when gathering clouds 
Rise o'er the earth in summer's dazzling noon, 
And grateful showers dispel the morning heat. 

SAKOONTALA. 

You must consent, then, dear friends, to contrive some 
means by which I may find favour with the King, or you 
will have ere long to assist at my funeral. 

KING. 

Enough ! These words remove all my doubts. 

PEIYAMVADA. [Aside to Anasuya. 

She is far gone in love, dear Anasuya, and no time ought 

to be lost. Since she has fixed her affections on a monarch 

who is the ornament of Puru's line, we need not hesitate for 

a moment to express our approval. 



70 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act m. 

ANASlIYl. 

I quite agree with. you. 

pbiyamvadI. [Aloud. 

We wish you joy, dear S'akoontala. Your affections are 
fixed on an object in every respect worthy of you. The 
noblest river will unite itself to the ocean, and the lovely 
Madhavi-creeper clings naturally to the Mango, the only tree 
capable of supporting it. 

EQv T G. 

Why need we wonder if the beautiful constellation Yisakha 
pines to be united with the Moon. 53 

anasutI. 
By what stratagem can we best secure to our friend the 
accomplishment of her heart's desire both speedily and 
secretly ? 

PRIYAJIVADi. 

The latter point is all we have to think about. As to 
'speedily,' I look upon the whole affair as already settled. 

ASTAStJTl. 

How so ? 

PEIYAMVADi. 

Did you not observe how the King betrayed his liking by 






act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 71 

the tender maimer in which he gazed npon her, and how thin 
he has become the last few days, as if he had been lying 
awake thinking of her ? 

KINO. [Looking at himself. 

Quite time ! I certainly am becoming thin from want of 
sleep : 

As night by night in anxious thought I raise 
This wasted arm to rest my sleepless head, 
My jewelled bracelet, sullied by the tears 
That trickle from my eyes in scalding streams, 
Slips towards my elbow from my shrivelled wrist. 
Oft I replace the bauble, but in vain ; 
So easily it spans the fleshless limb 
That e'en the rough and corrugated skin, 
Scarred by the bow-string, will not check its fall. 54 

PEIYAirVADl. {Thoughtfully. 

An idea strikes me, Anasuya. Let S'akoontala write a 
love-letter ; I will conceal it in a flower, and contrive to drop 
it in the King's path. He will surely mistake it for the 
remains of some sacred offering, and will, in all probability, 
pick it up. 



72 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act hi. 



ANAStJYi. 

A very ingenious device ! It has my entire approval ; but 
what says S'akoontala ? 

SAKOONTAlX 

I must consider before I can consent to it. 

PKIYAMVADi. 

Could you not, dear S'akoontala, think of some pretty 
composition in verse, containing a delicate declaration of your 
love? 

SAKOONTALA. 

Well, I will do my best ; but my heart trembles when I 
think of the chances of a refusal. 

KING. [ With rapture. 

Too timid maid, here stands the man from whom 
Thou fearest a repulse ; supremely blessed 
To call thee all his own. "Well might he doubt 
His title to thy love ; but how could' st thou 
Believe thy beauty powerless to subdue him ? 

PEIYAl^VAI)! AMD ANASUri. 

You undervalue your own merits, dear S'akoontala. What 
man in his senses would intercept with the skirt of his robe 



act in.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 73 

the bright rays of the autumnal moon, which alone can allay 
the fever of his body ? 

SAKOOXTAXi. [Smiling. 

Then it seems I must do as I am bid. [Sits down and appears 
to be thinking.] 

EXXG. 
How charming she looks ! My very eyes forget to wink, 
jealous of losing even for an instant a sight so enchanting. 
How beautiful the movement of her brow, 
As through her mind love's tender fancies flow ! 
And, as she weighs her thoughts, how sweet to trace 
The ardent passion mantling in her face ! 

SAKOOXTALA. 

Dear girls, I have thought of a verse, but I have no 
writing-materials at hand. 

PEIYA3IVADA. 

"Write the letters with your nail on this lotus-leaf, which is 
smooth as a parrot's breast. 

SAKOOXTALA. [After writing the verse. 

Listen, dear friends, and tell me whether the ideas are 
appropriately expressed. - 



74 SAEOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RING. [act in. 

PEIYAMVADi AND ANASfTYA. 

We are all attention. 

SAKOONTALA. {Reads. 

I know not the secret thy "bosom conceals, 

Thy form is not near me to gladden my sight ; 

But sad is the tale that my fever reveals, 

Of the love that consumes me by day and by night. 

KING. 

[Advancing hastily towards her. 

Nay, Love does but warm thee, fair maiden, — thy frame 
Only droops like the bud in the glare of the noon ; 

But me he consumes with a pitiless flame, 

As the beams of the day-star destroy the pale moon. 

PKIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. 

{Looking at him joyfully and rising to salute him. 

"Welcome, the desire of our hearts, that so speedily presents 

itself ! [Sakoontala makes an effort to rise. 

KING. 
Nay, trouble not thyself, dear maiden, 

Move not to do me homage ; let thy limbs 
Still softly rest upon their flowery couch, 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 75 

And gather fragrance from the lotus-stalks 
Bruised by the fevered contact of thy frame. 

ANASUYA. 

Deign, gentle Sir, to seat yourself on the rock on which 

our friend is reposing. 

\_The King sits down. Sakoontala is confused. 

PRIYAMVADl. 

Any one may see at a glance that you are deeply attached 
to each other. But the affection I have for my friend 
prompts me to say something of which you hardly require 
to be informed. 

KINO. 

Do not hesitate to speak out, my good girl. If you omit to 
say what is in your mind, you may be sorry for it afterwards. 

PEIYAHVADA. 

Is it not your special office as a King to remove the suffering 
of your subjects who are in trouble ? 

KING. 

Such is my duty, most assuredly. 

PRIYAMYADA. 

Enow, then, that our dear friend has been brought to her 



76 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act hi. 

present state of suffering entirely through love for you. Her 
life is in your hands ; take pity on her and restore her to 
health. 

KING. 

Excellent maiden, our attachment is mutual. It is I who 
am the most honoured by it. 

SAKOONTALA. [Looking at Priyamvada. 
What do you mean by detaining the Xing, who must 
be anxious to return to his royal consorts after so long a 
separation ? 

KING. 

Sweet maiden, banish from thy mind the thought 
That I could love another. Thou dost reign 
Supreme, without a rival, in my heart, 
And I am thine alone : disown me not, 
Else must I die a second deadlier death, — 
Killed by thy words, as erst by Kama's 47 shafts. 

ANAS1JYA. 

Kind Sir, we have heard it said that kings have many 
favourite consorts. You must not, then, by your behaviour 
towards our dear friend, give her relations cause to sorrow for 
her. 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEH LOST RING. 77 

KING. 

Listen, gentle maiden, while in a few words I quiet your 
anxiety. 

Though many beauteous forms my palace grace, 
Henceforth two things alone will I esteem 
The glory of my royal dynasty ; — 
My sea-girt realm, and this most lovely maid. 

PKIYAMVADI AND ANAStJYA. 

"We are satisfied by your assurances. 

PEIYAMVADA. [Glancing on one side. 

See, Anasuya, there is our favourite little fawn running 

about in great distress, and turning its eyes in every direction 

as if looking for its mother ; come, let us help the little thing 

to find her. [Both move away. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Dear friends, dear friends, leave me not alone and unpro- 
tected. Why need you both go ? 

PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. 

Unprotected ! when the Protector of the world is at your 
side. [Exeimt. 



78 BAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act hi. 

SAKOONTAXi. 

What ! have they both really left me ? 

KING. 

Distress not thyself, sweet maiden. Thy adorer is at hand 
to wait upon thee. 

Oh let me tend thee, fair one, in the place 
Of thy dear friends ; and with broad lotus fans, 
Baise cooling breezes to refresh thy frame ; 
Or shall I rather, with caressing touch, 
Allay the fever of thy limbs, and soothe 
Thy aching feet, beauteous as blushing lilies ? 

SAKOONTAXi. 

Nay, touch me not. I will not incur the censure of those 
whom I am bound to respect. [Rises and attempts to go. 

KINO. 

Pair one, the heat of noon has not yet subsided, and thy 

body is still feeble. 

How canst thou quit thy fragrant couch of flowers, 

And from thy throbbing bosom cast aside 

Its covering of lotus-leaves, to brave 

With weak and fainting limbs the noon-day heat ? 

[Forces her to turn back. 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST ZIXG. 79 

SAKOONTALA. 

Infringe not the rules of decorum, mighty descendant of 
Puru. Remember, though I love you, I have no power to 
dispose of myself. 

KING. 

Why this fear of offending your relations, timid maid? 
When your venerable foster-father hears of it, he will not 
find fault with you. He knows that the law permits us to 
be united without consulting him. 

In Indra's heaven, so at least 'tis said, 
Ko nuptial rites prevail, 55 nor is the bride 
Led to the altar by her future spouse ; 
But all in secret does the bridegroom plight 
His troth, and each unto the other vow 
Mutual allegiance. Such espousals, too, 
Are authorised on earth, and many daughters 
Of royal saints thus wedded to their lords 
Have still received their father's benison. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Leave me, leave me ; I must take counsel with my female 
friends. 



80 SAKOONTALA ; OS, TEE LOST MING. [act m, 

KING. 

I will leave thee when — 

SAKOONTAIA. 

When? 

KING. 

"When I have gently stolen from thy lips 
Their yet untasted nectar, to allay 
The raging of my thirst, e'en as the bee 
Sips the fresh honey from the opening bnd. 

[Attempts to raise her face. Sakoontala tries to 
prevent him.'] 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

The loving birds, doomed by fate to nightly separation, 56 
must bid farewell to each other, for evening is at hand. 

SAKOONTALl. [In confusion. 

Great Prince, I hear the voice of the matron Gautami. She 
is coming this way to inquire after my health. Hasten and 
conceal yourself behind the branches. 

KING. 
I will. [Conceals himself. 






act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 81 

Enter Gatttami with a vase in her hand, preceded ly 
two attendants. 

ATTENDANTS. 

This way, most venerable Gautami. 

GAUTAMI. 

[Approaching Sakoontala. 
My child, is the fever of thy limbs allayed ? 

SAKOONTALA. 

Venerable mother, there is certainly a change for the 
better. 

GATTTAMI. 

Let me sprinkle you with this holy water, and all your ail- 
ments will depart. [Sprinkling Sakoontala on the head.'] The 
day is closing, my child ; come, let us go to the cottage. 

[They all move away. 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

Oh my heart ! thou didst fear to taste of happiness when it 
was within thy reach. Now that the object of thy desires is 
torn from thee, how bitter will be thy remorse, how distracting 
thine anguish ! [Moving on a few steps and stopping. Aloud, ~\ 



82 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST MING. [act hi. 

Farewell ! bower of creepers, sweet soother of my sufferings, 
farewell ! may I soon again be happy under thy shade. 

[Exit reluctantly with the others. 

KING. 

[Returning to his former seat in the arbour. Sighing. 
Alas ! how many are the obstacles to the accomplishment 
of our wishes ! 

Albeit she did coyly turn away 
Her glowing cheek, and with her fingers guard 
Her pouting lips, that murmured a denial 
In faltering accents, she did yield herself 
A sweet reluctant captive to my will, 
As eagerly I raised her lovely face : 
But ere with gentle force I stole the kiss, 
Too envious Fate did mar my daring purpose. 
"Whither now shall I betake myself? I will tarry for a brief 
space in this bower of creepers, so endeared to me by the 
presence of my beloved Sakoontala. [Loohing round. 

Here printed on the flowery couch I see 
The fair impression of her slender limbs ; 
Here is the sweet confession of her love, 
Traced with her nail upon the lotus leaf: 



act in.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING, 83 

And yonder are the withered lily-stalks 

That graced her wrist. "While all around I view 

Things that recal her image, can I quit 

This bower, e'en though its living charm he fled ? 

A VOICE IN THE AIE. 

Great King, 

Scarce is our evening sacrifice begun, 
"When evil demons, lurid as the clouds 
That gather round the dying orb of day, 
Cluster in hideous troops, obscene and dread, 
About our altars, casting far and near 
Terrific shadows, while the sacred fire 
Sheds a pale lustre o'er their ghostly shapes. 



I come to the rescue, I come. 



[Exit. 




84 SAKOONTALA; OS, THE LOST BINO. [act it. 




PRELUDE TO ACT IV. 

Scene. — The Garden of the Hermitage. 
Enter PedtamvadI and A^ASuri. in the act of gathering flowers. 

ANAStJYi. 

Although, dear Priyamvada, it rejoices my heart to think 

that Sakoontala has been happily united to a husband in every 

respect worthy of her, by the form, of marriage prevalent 

among Indra's celestial musicians, nevertheless, I cannot help 

feeling somewhat uneasy in my mind. 

peiyamvadA. 
How so ? 



act iv.] 8AK00NTALA; OS, THE LOST RING. 85 

anasttyI. 
You know that the pious King was gratefully dismissed by 
the hermits on the successful termination of their sacrificial 
rites. He has now returned to his capital, leaving S'akoontala 
under our care ; and it may be doubted whether,' in the 
society of his royal consorts, he will not forget all that has 
taken place in this hermitage of ours. 

PEjrjorvAM. 
On that score be at ease. Persons of his noble nature are 
not so destitute of all honourable feeling. I confess, however, 
that there is one point about which I am rather anxious. 
What, think you, will Father Kanwa say when he hears what 
has occurred ? 

A^AStjri. 

In my opinion, he will approve the marriage. 

PEIYAMVADA. 

What makes you think so ? 

AXAStJYi. 

Prom the first, it was always his fixed purpose to bestow 
the maiden on a husband worthy of her ;• and since heaven 
has given her such a husband, his wishes have been realized 
without any trouble to himself* 



88 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST EING. [act iv. 

PFJYAMVADi. 

[Looking at the flower -basket. 
"We have gathered flowers enough for the sacred offering, 

dear Anasuya. 

ANASUYi. 

Well, then, let us now gather more, that we may have 
wherewith to propitiate the guardian-deity of our dear 
S'akoontala. 

PRIYAMVADi. 
By all means. [.They continue gathering. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Ho there ! See you not that I am here ? 

ANASUYA. [Listening. 

That must be the voice of a guest announcing his arrival. 

PETYAMVADA. 

Surely, S'akoontala is not absent from the cottage. [Aside.'] 
Her heart at least is absent, I fear. 

anasijyA. 

Come along, come along ; we have gathered flowers enough. 

{They move away. 

THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Woe to thee, maiden, for daring to slight a guest like me ! 
Shall I stand here unwelcomed ; even I, 
A very mine of penitential merit, 



act iv.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 87 

Worthy of all respect ? Shalt thou, rash maid, 

Thus set at nought the ever sacred ties 

Of hospitality ? and fix thy thoughts 

Upon the cherished object of thy love, 

While I am present ? Thus I curse thee, then — 

He, even he of whom thou thinkest, he 

Shall think no more of thee ; nor in his heart 

Eetain thine image. Yainly shalt thou strive 

To waken his remembrance of the past ; 

He shall disown thee, even as the sot, 

Roused from his midnight drunkenness, denies 

The words he uttered in his revellings. 

PEIYAMVADA. 

Alas ! alas ! I fear a terrible misfortune has occurred. 
S'akoontala, from absence of mind, must have offended some 
guest whom she was bound to treat with respect. [Looking 
behind the scenes.'] Ah ! yes ; I see, and no less a person than 
the great sage Durvasas, 57 who is known to be most irascible. 
He it is that has just cursed her, and is now retiring with 
hasty strides, trembling with passion, and looking as if nothing 
could turn him. His wrath is like a consuming fire. 



88 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 

anasuya. 
Go quickly, dear Priyamvada, throw yourself at his feet, 
and persuade him to come back, while I prepare a propitiatory 
offering 5S for him, with water and refreshments. 

PRIYAMVADA. 
I will. [Exit. 

ANAstfYl. 

[Advancing hastily a few steps and stumbling. 
Alas ! alas ! this comes of being in a hurry. My foot has 
slipped, and my basket of flowers has fallen from my hand. 

[Stays to gather them up. 

PRIYAMVADA. [Re-entering. 

"Well, dear Anasuya, I have done my best ; but what living 
being could succeed in pacifying such a cross-grained, ill- 
tempered old fellow ? However, I managed to mollify him a 
little. 

ANAStJYl. [Smiling. 

Even a little was much for him. Say on. 

PRIYAMVADA. 

When he refused to turn back, I implored his forgiveness 
in these words : ' Most venerable sage, pardon, I beseech you, 
this first offence of a young and inexperienced girl, who was 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 89 

ignorant of the respect due to your saintly character and 
exalted rank.' 

ANASUYA. 

And what did he reply ? 

PEIYAlTVADl. 

1 My word must not be falsified ; but at the sight of the ring 
of recognition the spell shall cease.' So saying, he disappeared. 

ANASUYA. 

Oh ! then we may breathe again ; for now I think of it, 
the King himself, at his departure, fastened on Sakoontala's 
finger, as a token of remembrance, a ring on which his own 
name was engraved. She has, therefore, a remedy for her 
misfortune at her own command. 

PKIYAMVADA. 

Come, dear Anasuya, let us proceed with our religious 
duties. [They walk away. 

PErYAMVADA. [Looking off the stage. 

See, Anasuya, there sits our dear friend, motionless as a 

statue, resting her face on her left hand, her whole mind 

absorbed in thinking of her absent husband. She can pay no 

attention to herself, much less to a stranger. 



90 



SAKOONTALA; OH, THE LOST BING. [act iv. 



ANAStJYA. 

Priyamvada, let this affair never pass our lips. "We must 
spare our dear friend's feelings. Her constitution is too 
delicate to bear much emotion. 

PEIYAMVADl. 

I agree with you. Who would think of watering a tender 
jasmine with hot water ? 




act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST SING. 91 



ACT IV. 

Scene. — The Neighbourhood of the Hermitage. 

Enter one of Kan^a's Pupils just arisen from his coach at the 
dawn of day. 

PUPIL. 

My master, the venerable Kanwa, who is but lately returned 
from his pilgrimage, has ordered me to ascertain how the time 
goes. I have therefore come into the open air to see if it 
be still dark. [Walking and looking about.] Oh ! the dawn has 
already broken. 

Lo ! in one quarter of the sky, the Moon, 
Lord of the herbs and night-expanding flowers, 
Sinks towards his bed behind the western hills ; 
While in the east, preceded by the Dawn, 
His blushing charioteer, 59 the glorious Sun 
Begins his course, and far into the gloom 
Casts the first radiance of his orient beams. 



92 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST EING. [act iv. 

Hail ! co-eternal orbs, that rise to set, 
And set to rise again ; symbols divine 
Of man's reverses, life's vicissitudes. 
And now, 

While the round Moon withdraws his looming disc 
Beneath the western sky, the full-blown flower 
Of the night-loving lotus 60 sheds her leaves 
In sorrow for his loss, bequeathing nought 
But the sweet memory of her loveliness 
To my bereaved sight : e'en as the bride 
Disconsolately mourns her absent lord, 
And yields her heart a prey to anxious grief. 

ANAStJYA. [Entering abruptly. 

Little as I know of the ways of the world, I cannot help 
thinking that King Dushyanta is treating S'akoontala very 
improperly. 

PUPIL. 

"Well, I must let my revered preceptor know that it is 
time to offer the burnt oblation. [Exit. 

ANAStJYA. 

I am broad awake, but what shall I do ? I have no energy 



act iv.] SAKOONTAIA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 93 

to go about my usual occupations. My hands and feet seem 
to have lost their power. Well, Love has gained his object; 
and Love only is to blame for having induced our dear friend, 
in the innocence of her heart, to confide in such a perfidious 
man. Possibly, however, the imprecation of Durvasas may 
be already taking effect. Indeed, I cannot otherwise account 
for the King's strange conduct, in allowing so long a time to 
elapse without even a letter ; and that, too, after so many 
promises and protestations. I cannot think what to do, 
unless we send him the ring which was to be the token of 
recognition. But which of these austere hermits could we 
ask to be the bearer of it ? Then, again, Father Kanwa has 
just returned from his pilgrimage ; and how am I to inform 
him of S'akoontala's marriage to King Dushyanta, and her 
expectation of being soon a mother ? I never could bring 
myself to tell him, even if I felt that Sakoontala had been in 
fault, which she certainly has not. What is to be done ? 

PRIYAMVAdX. [Entering ; joyfully. 

Quick! quick! Anasuya! come and assist in the joyful 
preparations for S'akoontala's departure to her husband's 
palace. 



94 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act it. 

ANAStJYl. 

My dear girl, what can you mean ? 

PKrYAMVADA. 

Listen, now, and I will tell you all about it. I went just 
now to Sakoontala, to inquire whether she had slept com- 
fortably 

ANASUYA. 

Well, well ; go on. 

PBIYAMVADA. 

She was sitting with her face bowed down to the very 
ground with shame, when Father Kanwa entered and, em- 
bracing her, of his own accord offered her his congratulations. 
'I give thee joy, my child,' he said, 'we have had an 
auspicious omen. The priest who offered the oblation 
dropped it into the very centre of the sacred fire, 61 though 
thick smoke obstructed his vision. Henceforth thou wilt cease 
to be an object of compassion. This very day I purpose 
sending thee, under the charge of certain trusty hermits, to 
the King's palace ; and shall deliver thee into the hands of 
thy husband, as I would commit knowledge to the keeping of 
a wise and faithful student.' 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 95 

ANASTJYA. 

Who, then, informed the holy Father of what passed in his 
absence ? 

PEIYAMVADA. 

As he was entering the sanctuary of the consecrated fire, 
an invisible being chanted a verse in celestial strains. 

AKASUYA. {With astonishment. 

Indeed ! pray repeat it. 

PEIYAMVADA. [Repeating the verse. 

Glows in thy daughter King Dushyanta's glory, 

As in the sacred tree the mystic fire. 62 
Let worlds rejoice to hear the welcome story; 

And may the son immortalize the sire. 

ANASTJYA. {Embracing Priyamvada. 

Oh, my dear Priyamvada, what delightful news ! I am 

pleased beyond measure ; yet when I think that we are to lose 

our dear Sakoontala this very day, a feeling of melancholy 

mingles with my joy. 

PRIYAMVADA. 

"We shall find means of consoling ourselves after her 
departure. Let the dear creature only be made happy, at 
any cost. 



96 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

ANASUYA. 

Yes, yes, Priyamvada, it shall be so ; and now to prepare 
our bridal array. I have always looked forward to this 
occasion, and some time since, I deposited a beautiful garland 
of Kesara flowers in a cocoa-nut box, and suspended it on a 
bough of yonder mango-tree. Be good enough to stretch out 
your hand and take it down, while I compound unguents and 
perfumes with this consecrated paste and these blades of 
sacred grass. 

PEIYAMVADA. 

Yery well. [Exit Anasuya. Priyamvada takes 

down the powers. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Gautami, bid S'arngarava and the others hold themselves in 
readiness to escort Sakoontala. 

PEIYAMVADA. [Listening. 

Quick, quick, Anasuya ! They are calling the hermits who 
are to go with Sakoontala to Hastinapur. 63 

ANASUYA. 

[Re-entering, with the perfumed unguents in her hand. 
Come along then, Priyamvada ; I am ready to go with you. 

[They walk away. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 97 

PRIYAMVADA. [Looking. 

See! there sits S'akoontala, her locks arranged even at 

this early hour of the morning. The holy women of the 

hermitage are congratulating her, and invoking blessings on 

her head, while they present her with wedding-gifts and 

offerings of consecrated wild-rice. Let us join them. 

[They approach. 

S'akoontala is seen seated, with women surrounding her, 
occupied in the manner 



FIEST WOMAN. [To SAKOONTALA. 

My child, may'st thou receive the title of ' Chief-queen,' 
and may thy husband delight to honour thee above all others ! 

SECOND WOMAN. 

My child, may'st thou be the mother of a hero ! 

THIRD WOMAN. 

My child, may'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord ! 

[Exeunt all the women, excepting Gautami, 
after blessing Sakoontala. 

PRIYAMVADi. AND ANAS1TYA. 

[Approaching. 
Dear S'akoontala, we are come to assist you at your toilet, 
and may a blessing attend it ! 

7 



98 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Welcome, dear friends, welcome. Sit down here. 

PEIYAMVADA AlO) ANAStlYA. 
[Taking the baskets containing the bridal decorations, 
and sitting down. 
Now, then, dearest, prepare to let us dress you. We must 
first rub your limbs with these perfumed unguents. 

SAKOONTALA. 

I ought indeed to be grateful for your kind offices, now that 
I am so soon to be deprived of them. Dear, dear friends, 
perhaps I shall never be dressed by you again. 

[Bursts into tears. 

PEIYAMVADA AOT) ANA.STJTA. 

"Weep not, dearest ; tears are out of season on such a happy 
occasion. [They wipe away her tears and 

begin to dress her. 

PEIYAMVADA. 

Alas ! these simple flowers and rude ornaments, which our 
hermitage offers in abundance, do not set off your beauty as it 

deserves. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OH, TEE LOST RING. 99 

Enter Two Young Hermits, hearing costly presents. 

BOTH HERMITS. 

Here are ornaments suitable for a queen. 

[The women look at them in astonishment. 

GAUTAMI. 

"Why, Narada, my son, whence came these ? 

FIRST HERMIT. 

You owe them to the devotion of Father Kanwa. 

GAUTAMI. 

Did he create them by the power of his own mind ? 

SECOND HERMIT. 

Certainly not ; but you shall hear. The venerable sage 
ordered us to collect flowers for S'akoontala from the forest- 
trees ; and we went to the wood for that purpose, when 
Straightway depending from a neighbouring tree 
Appeared a robe of linen tissue, pure 
And spotless as a moonbeam — mystic pledge 
Of bridal happiness ; another tree 
Distilled a roseate dye wherewith to stain 
The lady's feet; 142 and other branches near 
Glistened with rare and costly ornaments. 



L of 



1.00 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

While, 'midst the leaves, the hands of forest-nymphs, 
Tying in beauty with the opening buds, 
Presented us with sylvan offerings. 

PRIYAMVADA. 

\Lcohing at Sakoontala. 

The wood-nymphs have done you honour, indeed. This 

favour doubtless signifies that you are soon to be received as 

a happy wife into your husband's house, and are from this 

time forward to become the partner of his royal fortunes. 

[Sakoontala appears confused. 

FIRST HERMIT. 

Come, Gautama • Father Kanwa has finished his ablutions. 
Let us go and inform him of the favour we have received 
from the deities who preside over our trees. 

SECOND HERMIT. 

By all means. [Exeunt. 

PRIYAMVADA and anastjya. 
Alas ! what are we to do ? "We are unused to such splendid 
decorations, and are at a loss how to arrange them. Our 
knowledge of painting must be out guide. We will dispose 
the ornaments as we have seen them in pictures. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 101 

SAKOONTALA. 

Whatever pleases you, dear girls, will please me. I have 
perfect confidence in your taste. 

\_They commence dressing her, 

Enter Kanwa, having just finished his ablutions. 

KANWA. 

This day my loved one leaves me, and my heart 
Is heavy with its grief : the streams of sorrow 
Choked at the source, repress my faltering voice. 
I have no words to speak ; mine eyes are dimmed 
By the dark shadows of the thoughts that rise 
"Within my soul. If such the force of grief 
In an old hermit parted from his nursling, 
What anguish must the stricken parent feel — 
Bereft for ever of an only daughter. 

[Advances towards Sakoontala. 

PKIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. 

Now, dearest S'akoontala, we have finished decorating you. 
You have only to put on the two linen mantles. 

[Sakoontala rises and puts them on. 



102 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST MING. [act iv. 

GATJTAMI. 

Daughter, see, here comes thy foster-father ; he is eager to 
fold thee in his arms; his eyes swim with tears of joy. 
Hasten to do him, reverence. 

SAKOONTALA. {Reverently. 

My father, I salute you. 

KANWA. 

My daughter, 

May'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord, 
E'en as Yayati Sarmishtha adored ! 64 
And, as she bore him Puru, so may'st thou 
Bring forth a son to whom the world shall bow ! 

GAIJTAJklf. 

Most venerable father, she accepts your benediction as if 
she already possessed the boon it confers. 

KANWA. 

Now come this way, my child, and walk reverently round 
these sacrificial fires. [They all walk round. 

KANWA. 

[Repeats a prayer in the metre of the Rig-veda. 
Holy flames, that gleam around 
Every altar's hallowed ground ; 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 



103 



Holy flames, whose frequent food 

Is the consecrated wood, 

And for whose encircling bed, 

Sacred Kusa-grass is spread ; 65 

Holy flames, that waft to heaven 

Sweet oblations daily given, 

Mortal guilt to purge away ; — 

Hear, oh hear me, when I pray — 

Purify my child this day ! 
Now then, my daughter, set out on thy journey. [Looking on 
one side.] Where are thy attendants, S'arngarava and the 
others ? 



YOUNG HERMIT. 

Here we are, most venerable father. 



[Entering. 



KAinVA. 

Lead the way for thy sister. 



sXkngarava. 
Come, S'akoontala, let us proceed. 



[All move away. 



KANWA. 

Hear me, ye trees that surround our hermitage ! 



104 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 

Sakoontala ne'er moistened in the stream 

Her own parched lips, till she had fondly ponred 

Its purest water t>n your thirsty roots : 

And oft, when she would fain have decked her hair 

With your thick- clustering blossoms, in her love 

She robbed you not e'en of a single flower. 

Her highest joy was ever to behold 

The early glory of your opening buds : 

Oh, then, dismiss her with a kind farewell ! 

This very day she quits her father's home, 

To seek the palace of her wedded lord, 

[The note of a Koil 66 is heard. 
Hark ! heard' st thou not the answer of the trees, 
Our sylvan sisters, warbled in the note 
Of the melodious Koil 66 ? they dismiss 
Their dear Sakoontala with loving wishes. 

VOICES EN" THE AXE. 

Pare thee well, journey pleasantly on amid streams 
"Where the lotuses bloom, and the sun's glowing beams 
Never pierce the deep shade of the wide-spreading trees, 
While gently around thee shall sport the cool breeze ; 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 105 

Then light be thy footsteps and easy thy tread, 

Beneath thee shall carpets of lilies be spread. 

Journey on to thy lord, let thy spirit be gay, 

For the smiles of all Nature shall gladden thy way. 

[All listen with astonishment. 

GAUTAMI. 

Daughter ! the nymphs of the wood, who love thee with 
the affection of a sister, dismiss thee with kind wishes for thy 
happiness. Take thou leave of them reverentially. 

SAKOOSTAXA. 

[Bowing respectfully and walking on. 
Aside to her friend. 

Eager as I am, dear Priyamvada, to see my husband once 

more, yet my feet refuse to move, now that I am quitting for 

ever the home of my girlhood. 

PEIYAITVADA. 

You are not the only one, dearest, to feel the bitterness of 
parting. As the time of separation approaches, the whole 
grove seems to share your anguish. 

In sorrow for thy loss, the herd of deer 
Forget to browse ; the peacock on the lawn 



106 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 

Ceases its dance ; 67 the very trees around us 

Shed their pale leaves, like tears, upon the ground. 

SAKOONTALA. [Recollecting herself. 

My father, let me, before I go, hid adieu to my pet jasmine, 
the Moonlight of the Grove. 68 I love the plant almost as a 
sister. 

KANWA. 

Yes, yes, my child, I remember thy sisterly affection for 
the creeper. Here it is on the right. 

SAKOONTALA. 

[Approaching the jasmine. 
My beloved jasmine, most brilliant of climbing plants, how 
sweet it is to see thee cling thus fondly to thy husband, the 
mango-tree ; yet, prithee, turn thy twining arms for a moment 
in this direction to embrace thy sister ; she is going far away, 
and may never see thee again. 

KANWA. 

Daughter, the cherished purpose of my heart 
Has ever been to wed thee to a spouse 
That should be worthy of thee ; such a spouse 
Hast thou thyself, by thine own merits, won. 






act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 107 

To him thou goest, and about his neck 
Soon shalt thou cling confidingly, as now 
Thy favourite jasmine twines its loving arms 
Around the sturdy mango. Leave thou it 
To its protector — e'en as I consign 
Thee to thy lord, and henceforth from my mind 
Banish all anxious thought on thy behalf. 
Proceed on thy journey, my child. 

SAKOONTALA. 

[To Priyamvada and Anasuya. 
To you, my sweet companions, I leave it as a keepsake. 
Take charge of it when I am gone. 

peiyamvad! and anastjya. 

[Bursting into tears. 
And to whose charge do you leave us, dearest ? "Who will 
care for us when you are gone ? 

eantva. 
For shame, Anasuya ! dry your tears. Is this the way to 
cheer your friend at a time when she needs your support and 
consolation ? [jji move on% 



108 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

SAKOONTALA. 

My father, see you there my pet deer, grazing close to the 
hermitage ? She expects soon to fawn, and even now the 
weight of the little one she carries hinders her movements. 
Do not forget to send me word when she becomes a mother. 

KANWA. 

I will not forget it. 

SAKOONTALA. 

[Feeling herself drawn bach. 
What can this be, fastened to my dress ? [Turns round. 

KANWA. 

My daughter, 

It is the little fawn, thy foster-child. 
Poor helpless orphan ! it remembers well 
How with a mother's tenderness and love 
Thou did'st protect it, and with grains of rice 
From thine own hand did'st daily nourish it ; 
And, ever and anon, when some sharp thorn 
Had pierced its mouth, how gently thou did'st tend 
The bleeding wound, and pour in healing balm. 
The grateful nursling clings to its protectress, 
Mutely imploring leave to follow her. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. 109 

SAKOONTALA. 

My poor little fawn, dost thou ask to follow an unhappy 
wretch who hesitates not to desert her companions ? When 
thy mother died, soon after thy birth, I supplied her place, 
and reared thee with my own hand ; and now that thy second 
mother is about to leave thee, who will care for thee ? My 
father, be thou a mother to her. My child, go back, and be 
a daughter to my father. [Moves on, weeping. 

KA1JWA. 

"Weep not, my daughter, check the gathering tear 
That lurks beneath thine eyelid, ere it now 
And weaken thy resolve ; be firm and true — 
True to thyself and me ; the path of life 
"Will lead o'er hill and plain, o'er rough and smooth 
And all must feel the steepness of the way ; 
Though rugged be thy course, press boldly on. 

SARNGkARAVA. 

Yenerable sire! the sacred precept is — 'Accompany thy 
friend as far as the margin of the first stream.' Here, then, 
we are arrived at the border of a lake. It is time for you to 
give us your final instructions and return. 



110 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

KANWA. 

Be it so ; let us tarry for a moment under the shade of this 

fig-tree. 69 [They do so. 

KANWA. [Aside. 

I must think of some appropriate message to send to his 

majesty, King Dushyanta. [Reflects. 

saxoontala. [Aside to Anasuya. 

See, see, dear Anasuya, the poor female Chakravaka-bird, 70 
whom cruel fate dooms to nightly separation from her mate, 
calls to him in mournful notes from the other side of the 
stream, though he is only hidden from her view by the 
spreading leaves of the water-lily. Her cry is so piteous that 
I could almost fancy she was lamenting her hard lot in 
intelligible words. 

AKAStJYA. 

Say not so, dearest. 

Pond bird ! though sorrow lengthen out her night 
Of widowhood, yet with a cry of joy 
She hails the morning light that brings her mate 
Back to her side. The agony of parting 
"Would wound us like a sword, but that its edge 
Is blunted by the hope of future meeting. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. Ill 

KAITWA. 

S'arngarava, when you have introduced S'akoontala into 
the presence of the King, you must give him this message 
from me. 

SAKNGAEAVA. 

Let me hear it, venerable father. 

KAJTWA. 

This is it- 
Most puissant prince ! we here present before thee 
One thou art bound to cherish and receive 
As thine own wife ; yea, even to enthrone 
As thine own queen — worthy of equal love 
With thine imperial consorts. So much, Sire, 
"We claim of thee as justice due to us, 
In virtue of our holy character — 
In virtue of thine honourable rank — 
In virtue of the pure spontaneous love 
That secretly grew up 'twixt thee and her, 
Without consent or privity of us. 
We ask no more — the rest we freely leave 
To thy just feeling and to destiny. 



112 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 

SARNGARAVA. 

A most suitable message. I will take care to deliver it 
correctly. 

, KANWA. 

And now, my child, a few words of advice for thee. "We 
hermits, though we live secluded from the world, are not 
ignorant of worldly matters. 

SARNGARAVA. 

No, indeed. Wise men are conversant with all subjects. 

EANWA. 

Listen, then, my daughter. "When thou reachest thy 
husband's palace, and art admitted into his family, 
Honour thy betters ; ever be respectful 
To those above thee ; and, should others share 
Thy husband's love, ne'er yield thyself a prey 
To jealousy ; but ever be a friend, 
A loving friend, to those who rival thee 
In his affections. Should thy wedded lord 
Treat thee with harshness, thou must never be 
Harsh in return, but patient and submissive. 
Be to thy menials courteous, and to all 
Placed under thee, considerate and kind : 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 113 

Be never self-indulgent, but avoid 
Excess in pleasure ; and, when fortune smiles, 
Be not puffed up. Thus to thy husband's house 
"Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse. 
What thinks Gautami of this advice ? 

GAUTAMI. 

An excellent compendium, truly, of every wife's duties ! 
Lay it well to heart, my daughter. 

KANWA. 

Come, my beloved child, one parting embrace for me and 
for thy companions, and then we leave thee. 

SAKOOSTTALA. 

My father, must Priyamvada and Anasuya really return 
with you ? They are very dear to me. 

KAl^WA. 

Yes, my child ; they, too, in good time, will be given in 
marriage to suitable husbands. It would not be proper for 
them to accompany thee to such a public place. But Gautami 
shall be thy companion. 

SAKOONTALi. [Embracing him. 

Removed from thy bosom, my beloved father, like a young 

8 



114 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in the western 
mountains, 71 how shall I he able to support life in a foreign 
soil? 

KANWA. 

Daughter, thy fears are groundless : 

Soon shall thy lord prefer thee to the rank 
Of his own consort ; and unnumbered cares 
Befitting his imperial dignity 
Shall constantly engross thee. Then the bliss 
Of bearing him a son — a noble boy, 
Bright as the day-star, shall transport thy soul 
"With new delights, and little shalt thou reck 
Of the light sorrow that afflicts thee now 
At parting from thy father and thy friends. 

[Sakoontala throws herself at her foster-father' 's feet. 

KANWA. 

Blessings on thee, my child ! May all my hopes of thee be 
realized ! 

SAKOONTALA. 

[Approaching her friends. 
Come my two loved companions, embrace me both of you 
together. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING, 115 

PRIYAMVADA AM) AJS T AStJYA. 

[Embracing her. 
Dear Sakoontala, remember, if the King should by any 
chance be slow in recognizing you, you have only to show 
him this ring, on which his own name is engraved. 

SAKOONTALl. 

The bare thought of it puts me in a tremor. 

PRIYAMVADA AND ANASTJYi.. 

There is no real cause for fear, dearest. Excessive affection 
is too apt to suspect evil where none exists. 

SARNGARAVA. 

Come, lady, we must hasten on. The sun is rising in the 
heavens. 

SAKOONTALi. 

[Looking towards the hermitage. 
Dear father, when shall I ever see this hallowed grove 
again ? 

ZAITWA. 

I will tell thee ; listen. 

When thou hast passed a long and blissful life 
As King Dushyanta's queen, and jointly shared 
"With all the earth his ever-watchful care , 



116 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act iv. 

And hast beheld thine own heroic son, 
Matchless in arms, united to a spouse 
In happy wedlock ; when his aged sire, 
Thy faithful husband, hath to him resigned 
The helm of state ; then, weary of the world, 
Together with Dushyanta thou shalt seek 
The calm seclusion of thy former home : 72 
There amid holy scenes to be at peace, 
Till thy pure spirit gain its last release. 

GATJTAMI. 

Come, my child, the favourable time for our journey is fast 
passing. Let thy father return. Yenerable Sire, be thou 
the first to move homewards, or these last words will never 
end. 

KANWA. 

Daughter, detain me no longer. My religious duties must 
not be interrupted. 

SAKOONTALA. 

[Again embracing her foster-father. 
Beloved father, thy frame is much enfeebled by penitential 
exercises. Do not, oh ! do not, allow thyself to sorrow too 
much on my account. 



act iv.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 117 

KANWA. [Sighing. 

How, my child, shall my bereaved heart 
Forget its bitterness, when, day by day, 
Full in my sight shall grow the tender plants 
Beared by thy care, or sprung from hallowed grain 
"Which thy loved hands have strewn around the door — 
A frequent offering to our household gods ? 73 
Go, my daughter, and may thy journey be prosperous. 

[Exit Sakoontala with her escort. 

PEIYAMVADi AND ANASTJYl. 

[Gazing after Sakoontala. 
Alas ! alas ! she is gone, and now the trees hide our darling 
from our view. 

KANWA. [Sighing. 

"Well, Anasiiya, your sister has departed. Moderate your 
grief, both of you, and follow me. I go back to the 
hermitage. 

PEIYAMVADi AND ANAS^yA. 

Holy father, the sacred grove will be a desert without 
Sakoontala. How can we ever return to it ? 



118 



SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act iv. 



KANWA. 

It is natural enough that your affection should make you 
view it in this light. {Walking pensively on.] As for me, I am 
quite surprised at myself. How that I have fairly dismissed 
her to her hushand's house, my mind is easy : for indeed, 
A daughter is a loan — a precious jewel 
Lent to a parent till her husband claim her. 
And now that to her rightful lord and master 
I have delivered her, my burdened soul 
Is lightened, and I seem to breathe more freely. 

[Exeunt. 




act v.] SJXOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 119 



ACT Y. 

Scene. — A Room in the Palace. 

The King Dushyanta and the Jester Mathayya are 

discovered seated. 

MATHAYYA. {Listening. 

Hark ! my dear friend, listen a minute, and yon will near 
sweet sounds proceeding from the music-room. Some one is 
singing a charming air. "Who can it be ? Oh ! I know. The 
queen Hansapadika is practising her notes, that she may 
greet you with a new song. 

KING. 

Hush ! Let me listen. 

A YOICE SINGS BEHIND THE SCENES. 

How often hither did'st thou roYe, 
Sweet bee, to kiss the mango's cheek ; 
Oh ! leaYe not, then, thy early Ioyc, 
The lily's honeyed lip to seek. 



120 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

KING. 

A most impassioned strain, truly ! 

MATHAVYA. 

Do you understand the meaning of the words ? 

KING. {Smiling. 

She means to reprove me, because I once paid her great 

attention, and have lately deserted her for the queen Vasumati. 

Go, my dear fellow, and tell Hansapadika from me that I take 

her delicate reproof as it is intended. 

MATHAVYA. 

Very well. {Rising from his seat.] But stay — I don't much 
relish being sent to bear the brunt of her jealousy. The 
chances are that she will have me seized by the hair of the 
head and beaten to a jelly. I would as soon expose myself, 
after a vow of celibacy, to the seductions of a lovely nymph, 
as encounter the fury of a jealous woman. 

KING. 

Go, go ; you can disarm her wrath by a civil speech ; but 
give her my message. 

MATHAVYA. 

What must be must be, I suppose. [Exit. 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 121 

KING. [Aside. 

Strange ! that song has filled me with a most peculiar 
sensation. A melancholy feeling has come over me, and I 
seem to yearn after some long-forgotten object of affection. 
Singular, indeed ! but 

Not seldom in our happy hours of ease, 

When thought is still, the sight of some fair form, 

Or mournful fall of music breathing low, 

"Will stir strange fancies, thrilling all the soul 

With a mysterious sadness, and a sense 

Of vague yet earnest longing. Can it be 

That the dim memory of events long past, 

Or friendships formed in other states of being, 74 

Flits like a passing shadow o'er the spirit ? 

[Remains pensive and sad. 

Enter the Chamberlain. 75 

CHAMBERLAIN. 

Alas! to what an advanced period of life have I 
attained ! 

Even this wand betrays the lapse of years ; 
In youthful days 'twas but a useless badge 



122 ISAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act v. 

And symbol of my office ; now it serves 
As a support to prop my tottering steps. 
Ah me ! I feel very unwilling to announce to the King 
that a deputation of young hermits from the sage Kanwa has 
arrived, and craves an immediate audience. Certainly, his 
majesty ought not to neglect a matter of sacred duty, yet 
I hardly like to trouble him when he has just risen from 
the judgment- seat. Well, well; a monarch's business is to 
sustain the world, and he must not expect much repose; 
because — 

Onward, for ever onward, in his car 
The unwearied Sun pursues his daily course, 
Nor tarries to unyoke his glittering steeds. 
And ever moving speeds the rushing Wind 
Through boundless space, filling the universe 
With his life-giving breezes. Day and night, 
The King of Serpents on his thousand heads 76 
Upholds the incumbent earth ; and even so, 
Unceasing toil is aye the lot of kings, 
Who, in return, draw nurture from their subjects. 
I will therefore deliver my message. [Walking on and looking 
about.'] Ah ! here comes the King : — 



act v.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 123 

His subjects are his children ; through the day, 
Like a fond father, to supply their wants, 
Incessantly he labours : wearied now, 
The monarch seeks seclusion and repose : 
E'en as the prince of elephants defies 
The sun's fierce heat, and leads the fainting herd 
To verdant pastures, ere his wayworn limbs 
He yields to rest beneath the cooling shade. 
{Approaching, ,] Victory to the King ! So please your 
majesty, some hermits who live in a forest near the Snowy 
^fountains have arrived here, bringing certain women with 
them. They have a message to deliver from the sage 
Kanwa, and desire an audience. I await your majesty's 
commands. 

KING. {Respectfully. 

A message from the sage Kanwa, did you say ? 

CHAMBEELAIN. 

Even so, my liege. 

KING. 

Tell my domestic priest Somarata to receive the hermits 
with due honour, according to the prescribed form. He may 



124 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

then himself introduce them into my presence. I will 
await them in a place suitable for the reception of such 
holy guests. 

CHAMBEELAIN. 

Your majesty's commands shall be obeyed. [Exit. 

KING. 

[Rising and addressing the "Warder. 
Yetravati, lead the way to the chamber of the consecrated 
fire. 77 

WAEDEE. 

This way, Sire. 

KING. 
[ Walking on, with the air of one oppressed by 
the cares of government. 
People are generally contented and happy when they have 
gained their desires ; but kings have no sooner attained the 
object of their aspirations than all their troubles begin. 
' Tis a fond thought that to attain the end 
And object of ambition is to rest; 
Success doth only mitigate the fever 
Of anxious expectation ! soon the fear 



act v.] SAEOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 125 

Of losing what we have, the constant care 
Of guarding it, doth weary. Ceaseless toil 
Must be the lot of him who with his hands 
Supports the canopy that shields his subjects. 

TWO HERALDS. 78 [Behind the scenes. 

May the King be victorious ! 

FIRST HERALD. 

Honour to him who labours day by day 
For the world's weal, forgetful of his own. 
Like some tall tree that with its stately head 
Endures the solar beam, while underneath 
It yields refreshing shelter to the weary. 

' SECOND HERALD. 

Let but the monarch wield his threatening rod 
And e'en the guilty tremble ; at his voice 
The rebel spirit cowers ; his grateful subjects 
Acknowledge him their guardian ; rich and poor 
Hail him a faithful friend, a loving kinsman. 

KLNG. 

Weary as I was before, this complimentary address has 
refreshed me. [Walks on. 



126 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

WARDEE. 

Here is the terrace of the hallowed fire-chamber, and 
yonder stands the cow that yields the milk for the oblations. 
The sacred enclosure has been recently purified, and looks 
clean and beautiful. Ascend, Sire. 

KING. 
[Leans on the shoulders of his attendants, and ascends. 
Vetravati, what can possibly be the message that the 
venerable Kanwa has sent me by these hermits ? — 
Perchance their sacred rites have been disturbed 
By demons, or some evil has befallen 
The innocent herds, their favourites, that graze 
Within the precincts of the hermitage ; 
Or haply, through my sins, some withering blight 
Has nipped the creeping plants that spread their arms 
Around the hallowed grove. Such troubled thoughts 
Crowd through my mind, and fill me with misgiving. 

WARDER. 

If you ask my opinion, Sire, I think the hermits merely 
wish to take an opportunity of testifying their loyalty, and 
ar& therefore come to offer homage to your majesty. 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 127 

Enter the Hermits leading Sakoontala, attended hy Gautami ; 
and in advance of them, the Chamberlain and the Domestic 
Priest. 

chamberlain". 
This way, reverend sirs, this way. 

SARNGARAYA. 

S'aradwata, 

' Tis true the monarch lacks no royal grace, 
Nor ever swerves from justice ; true, his people, 
Yea such as in life's humblest walks are found, 
Eefrain from evil courses ; still to me, 
A lonely hermit reared in solitude, 
This throng appears bewildering, and methinks 
I look upon a burning house, whose inmates 
Are running to and fro in wild dismay. 

SARADWATA. 

It is natural that the first sight of the King's capital 
should affect you in this manner; my own sensations are 
very similar. 

As one just bathed beholds the man polluted ; 

As one late purified, the yet impure : 



128 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act v. 

As one awake looks on the yet unwakened ; 

Or as the freeman gazes on the thrall, 

So I regard this crowd of pleasure-seekers. 

SAKOONTALi. 
[Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eye-lid,™ 
and suspecting a bad omen. 
Alas ! what means this throbbing of my right eye-lid ? 

GAUTAMI. 

Heaven avert the evil omen, my child ! May the guardian 

deities of thy husband's family convert it into a sign of good 

fortune! [Walks on. 

PEIEST. [Pointing to the King. 

Most reverend sirs, there stands the protector of the four 
classes of the people ; the guardian of the four orders of the 
priesthood. 80 He has just left the judgment-seat, and is 
waiting for you. Behold him ! 

siHNGAHAVA. 

Great Brahman, we are happy in thinking that the King's 
power is exerted for the protection of all classes of his 
subjects. "We have not come as petitioners — we have the 
fullest confidence in the generosity of his nature. 



act v.] SAEOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 129 

The loftiest trees bend humbly to the ground 
Beneath the teaming burden of their fruit ; 
High in the vernal sky the pregnant clouds 
Suspend their stately course, and, hanging low, 
Scatter their sparkling treasures o'er the earth : 
And such is true benevolence ; the good 
Are never rendered arrogant by riches. 

WAEDEE. 

So please your.Majesty, I judge from the placid countenance 
of the hermits that they have no alarming message to deliver. 

KING. [Looking at Sakoontala. 

But the lady there — 

Who can she be, whose form of matchless grace 
Is half concealed beneath her flowing veil ? 
Among the sombre hermits she appears 
Like a fresh bud 'mid sear and yellow leaves. 

WAEDEE. 

So please your Majesty, my curiosity is also roused, but no 

conjecture occurs to my mind. This at least is certain, that 

she deserves to be looked at more closely. 

9 



130 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

KING. 

True ; but it is not "right to gaze at another man's wife. 120 

sakoontalI. 

[Placing her hand on her bosom. Aside. 

my heart, why this throbbing ? Remember thy lord's 
affection, and take courage. 

PEIEST. [Advancing. 

These holy men have been received with all due honour. 
One of them has now a message to deliver from his spiritual 
superior. Will your Majesty deign to hear it ? 

king. 

1 am all attention. 

HEEMITS. [Extending their hands. 

Victory to the King ! 

XING. 

Accept my respectful greeting. 

HEEMITS. 

May the desires of your soul be accomplished ! 

KING. 

I trust no one is molesting you in the prosecution of your 
religious rites. 






act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST MING. 131 

HERMITS. 

Who dares disturb our penitential rites 
"When thou art our protector ? Can the night 
Prevail to cast her shadows o'er the earth 
While the sun's beams irradiate the sky ? 

KING. 

Such, indeed, is the very meaning of my title — ' Defender 
of the Just.' I trust the venerable Kanwa is in good health. 
The world is interested in his well-being. 

HERMITS. 

Holy men have health and prosperity in their own power. 
He bade us greet your Majesty,, and, after kind inquiries, 
deliver this message. 

KING. 

Let me hear his commands. 

SARNGARAVA. 

He bade us say that he feels happy in giving his sanction: 
to the marriage which your Majesty contracted with this lady, 
his daughter, privately and by mutual agreement. Because 
By us thou art esteemed the most illustrious 
Of noble husbands ; and Sakoontala 
Virtue herself in human form revealed. 



1S2 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

Great Brahma hath in equal yoke united 
A bride unto a husband worthy of her : — 
Henceforth let none make blasphemous complaint 
That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions. 81 
Since, therefore, she expects soon to be the mother of thy 
child, receive her into thy palace, that she may perform, in 
conjunction with thee, the ceremonies prescribed by religion 
on such an occasion. 

GAUTAMI. 

So please your Majesty, I would add a few words: but 
why should I intrude my sentiments when an opportunity of 
speaking my mind has never been allowed me ? 

She took no counsel with her kindred ; thou 
Didst not confer with thine, but all alone 
Didst solemnize thy nuptials with thy wife. 
Together, then, hold converse ; let us leave you. 

sakoontala. [Aside. 

Ah ! how I tremble for my lord's reply. 

KING. 

What strange proposal is this ? 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

His words are fire to me. 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 133 

SARNGARAVA. 

What do I hear? Dost thou, then, hesitate? Monarch, 
thou art well acquainted with the ways of the world, and 
knowest that 

A wife, however virtuous and discreet, 
If she live separate from her wedded lord, 
Though under shelter of her parent's roof, 
Is mark for vile suspicion. Let her dwell 
Beside her hushand, though he hold her not 
In his affection. So her kinsmen will it. 

Do you really mean to assert that I ever married this lady ? 

SAKOONTALi.. [Despondingly . Aside. 

my heart, thy worst misgivings are confirmed. 

SARtfGARAVA. 

Is it becoming in a monarch to depart from the rules of 
justice, because he repents of his engagements ? 

KT2TG. 

1 cannot answer a question which is based on a mere 
fabrication. 



134 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act v. 

SARNGARAVA. 

Such inconstancy is fortunately not common, excepting in 
men intoxicated by power. 

KING. 

Is that remark aimed at me ? 

GATJTAMI. 

Be not ashamed, my daughter. Let me remove thy veil 
for a little space. Thy hushand will then recognize thee. 

[Removes her veil. 
KING. 

[Gazing at Sakoontala. Aside. 
"What charms are here revealed before mine eyes ! 
Truly no blemish mars the symmetry 
Of that fair form ; yet can I ne'er believe 
<She is my wedded wife ; and like a bee 
That circles round the flower whose nectared cup 
Teems with the dew of morning, I must pause 
Ere eagerly I taste the proffered sweetness. 

Remains wrapped in thought. 
WARDER. 

How admirably does our royal master's behaviour prove his 
regard for justice ! Who else would hesitate for a moment 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 135 

when good fortune offered for his acceptance a form of such 
rare beauty ? 

SARFGARAVA. 

Great King, why art thou silent ? 

KING. 

Holy men, I have revolved the matter in my mind ; hut 
the more I think of it, the less able am I to recollect that I 
ever contracted an alliance with this lady. What answer, 
then, can I possibly give you when I do not believe myself 
to be her husband, and I plainly see that she is soon to 
become a mother ? 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

Woe ! woe ! Is our very marriage to be called in question 
by my own husband ? Ah me ! is this to be the end of all 
my bright visions of wedded happiness ? 

siRNGARAVA. 

Beware ! 

Beware how thou insult the holy Sage ! 

Eemember how he generously allowed 

Thy secret union with his foster-child : 

And how, when thou didst rob him of his treasure, 



136 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

He sought to furnish thee excuse, when rather 
He should have cursed thee for a ravisher. 

SARADWATA. 

S'arngarava, speak to him no more. S'akoontala, our 
part is performed ; we have said all we had to say, and 
the King has replied in the manner thou hast heard. It 
is now thy turn to give him convincing evidence of thy 
marriage. 

SAKOONTALA. [Aside. 

Since his feeling towards me has undergone a complete 
revolution, what will it avail to revive old recollections? 
One thing is clear — I shall soon have to mourn my own 

widowhood. [Aloud.] My revered husband [Stops 

short. 2 But no— I dare not address thee by this title, since 
thou hast refused to acknowledge our union. Noble de- 
scendant of Puru! It is not worthy of thee to betray an 
innocent-minded girl, and disown her in such terms, after 
having so lately and so solemnly plighted thy vows to her 
in the hermitage. 

KING. [Stopping his ears. 

I will hear no more. Be such a crime far from my 
thoughts ! 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 137 

What evil spirit can possess thee, lady, 
That thou dost seek to sully my good name 
By hase aspersions ? like a swollen torrent, 
That, leaping from its narrow hed, o'erthrows 
The tree upon its hank, and strives to blend 
Its turbid waters with the crystal stream ? 

SAKOONTALA. 

If, then, thou really believest me to be the wife of another, 
and thy present conduct proceeds from some cloud that ob- 
scures thy recollection, I will easily convince thee by this token. 

KING. 

An excellent idea ! 

SAKOONTAlX [Feeling for the ring. 

Alas ! alas ! woe is me ! There is no ring on my finger ! 

[Looks with anguish at Gautami. 
GAUTAMI. 

The ring must have slipped off when thou wast in the act 
of offering homage to the holy water of Sachi's sacred pool, 
near Sakravatara. 82 

KING. [Smiling. 

People may well talk of the readiness of woman's invention ! 
Here is an instance of it. 



138 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Say, rather, of the omnipotence of fate. I will mention 
another circumstance, which may yet convince thee. 

EXN"G. 

By all means let me hear it at once. 

SAXOONTALA. 

One day, while we were seated in a jasmine bower, thou 
didst pour into the hollow of thine hand some water, 
sprinkled by a recent shower in the cup of a lotus- 
blossom 

KING. 

I am listening ; proceed. 

SAKOONTALA. 

At that instant, my adopted child, the little fawn, with 
soft, long eyes, came running towards us. Upon which, 
before tasting the water thyself, thou didst kindly offer 
some to the little creature, saying fondly — 'Drink first, 
gentle fawn/ But she could not be induced to drink from 
the hand of a stranger ; though immediately afterwards, when 
I took the water in my own hand, she drank with perfect 
confidence. Then, with a smile, thou didst say — * Every 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 139 

creature confides naturally in its own kind. You are both 

inhab: 

other. 



inhabitants of the same forest, and have leamt to trust each 



XIXG. 

Voluptuaries may allow themselves to be seduced from the 
path of duty by falsehoods such as these, expressed in honeyed 
words. 

GATJTA1II. 

Speak not thus, illustrious Prince. This lady was brought 
up in a hermitage, and has never learnt deceit. 

KIXG. 

Holy matron, 

E'en in untutored brutes, the female sex 

Is marked by inborn subtlety — much more 

In beings gifted with intelligence. 

The wily Koil, 83 ere towards the sky 

She wings her sportive flight, commits her eggs 

To other nests, and artfully consigns 

The rearing of her little ones to strangers. 

SAKOOXTALA. [Angrihj. 

Dishonourable man, thou judgest of others by thine own 



140 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

evil heart. Thou, at least, art unrivalled in perfidy, and 

standest alone — a base deceiver in the garb of virtue and 

religion — like a deep pit whose yawning mouth is concealed 

by smiling flowers. 

king. [Aside. 

Her anger, at any rate, appears genuine, and makes me 

almost doubt whether I am in the right. For indeed, 
"When I had vainly searched my memory, 
And so with stern severity denied 
The fabled story of our secret loves, 
Her brows, that met before in graceful curves, 
Like the arched weapon of the god of love, 
Seemed by her frown dissevered ; while the fire 
Of sudden anger kindled in her eyes. 

[Aloud]. My good lady, Dushyanta's character is well known 

to all. I comprehend not your meaning. 

SAKOONTALA. 

"Well do I deserve to be thought a harlot for having, in the 

innocence of my heart, and out of the confidence I reposed in 

a Prince of Puru's race, entrusted my honour to a man whose 

mouth distils honey, while his heart is full of poison. 

[Covers her face with her mantle and bursts into tears. 



act v.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. 141 

SAENGAEAVA. 

Thus is it that burning remorse must ever follow rash 
actions which might have been avoided, and for which one 
has only one's-self to blame. 

Not hastily should marriage be contracted, 
And specially in secret. Many a time, 
In hearts that know not each the other's fancies, 
Fond love is changed into most bitter hate. 

KINO. 

How now ! Do you give credence to this woman rather 
than to me, that you heap such accusations on me ? 

SAENGAEAVA. [Sarcastically. 

That would be too absurd, certainly. You have heard the 
proverb — 

Hold in contempt the innocent words of those 
Who from their infancy have known no guile : 
But trust the treacherous counsels of the man 
Who makes a very science of deceit. 

KING. 

Most veracious Brahman, grant that you are in the right, 
what end would be gained by betraying this lady ? 



142 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

SAENGAEAVA. 

Ruin. 

KING. 

HSTo one will believe that a Prince of Puru's race would 
seek to ruin others or himself. 

SAEADWATA. 

This altercation is idle, S'arngarava. We have executed 
the commission of our preceptor ; come, let us return. 

[To theTLisG, 
Sakoontala is certainly thy bride ; 
Receive her or reject her, she is thine. 
Do with her, King, according to thy pleasure — 
The husband o'er the wife is absolute. 
Go on before us, Gautami. [They move away. 

SAKOONTALA. 

What ! is it not enough to have been betrayed by this 
perfidious man ? Must you also forsake me, regardless of my 
tears and lamentations. [Attempts to follow them. 

GAUTAMI. [Stopping. 

My son S'arngarava, see, Sakoontala is following us, and 

with tears implores us not to leave her. Alas ! poor child, 



act v.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. 143 

what will she do here with a cruel husband who casts her 
from him ? 

SARNGABAVA. 

[Turning angrily towards her. 

"Wilful woman, dost thou seek to be independent of thy 

lord? [Sakoontala trembles with fear. 

SARNGARAVA. 

S'akoontala ! 

If thou art really what the King proclaims thee, 

How can thy father e'er receive thee back 

Into his house and home ? but if thy conscience 

Be witness to thy purity of soul, 

E'en should thy husband to a handmaid's lot 

Condemn thee, thou mayst cheerfully endure it, 

When ranked among the number of his household. 

Thy duty, therefore, is to stay. As for us, we must return 

immediately. 

KING. 

Deceive not the lady, my good hermit, by any such 
expectations. 

The moon expands the lotus of the night, 
The rising sun awakes the lily ; each 



1U SAKOONTALA ; OH, THE LOST RING. [act v. 

Is with his own contented. Even so 

The virtuous man is master of his passions, 

And from another's wife averts his gaze. 120 

SARNGAEAVA. 

Since thy union with another woman has rendered thee 
oblivious of thy marriage with Sakoontala, whence this fear 
of losing thy character for constancy and virtue. 

kustg. [To his Priest. 

You must counsel me, revered sir, as to my course of 
action. "Which of the two evils involves the greater or less 
sin? 

Whether by some dark veil my mind be clouded, 
Or this designing woman speak untruly, 
I know not. Tell me, must I rather be 
The base disowner of my wedded wife, 
Or the defiling and denied adulterer ? 

PEIEST. [After deliberation. 

You must take an intermediate course. 

KING. 

What course, revered sir ? Tell me at once. 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 145 

PRIEST. 

I will provide an asylum for the lady in my own house 
until the birth of her child ; and my reason, if you ask me, 
is this. Soothsayers have predicted that your first-born will 
have universal dominion. Now, if the hermit's daughter 
bring forth a son with the discus or mark of empire in the 
lines of his hand, 84 you must admit her immediately into 
your royal apartments with great rejoicings; if not, then 
determine to send her back as soon as possible to her 
father. 

ZING. 

I bow to the decision of my spiritual adviser. 



PEIEST. 



Daughter, follow me. 



SAKOONTALA. 

divine earth, open and receive me into thy bosom ! 

[Exit Saeloontala weeping, with the Priest and the 
Hermits. The King remains absorbed in thinking 
of her, though the curse still clouds his recollection. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

A miracle ! a miracle ! 

10 



146 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act v. 

king. [Listening. 

What has happened now ? 

PEIEST. 
[Entering with an air of astonishment. 
Great Prince, a stupendous prodigy has just occurred ! 

KING. 

What is it? 

PKIEST. 

May it please your Majesty, so soon as Kanwa's pupils had 
departed, 

S'akoontala, her eyes all bathed in tears, 

"With outstretched arms, bewailed her cruel fate 

KINO. 

"Well, well, what happened then ? 

TKIEST. 

When suddenly a shining apparition, 

In female shape, descended from the skies, 

Near the nymphs' pool, and bore her up to heaven. 

[All remain motionless with astonishment. 

KING. 

My good priest, from the very first I declined having 
anything to do with this matter. It is now all over, and we 



act v.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 147 

can never, by our conjectures, unravel the mystery; let it 
rest ; go, seek repose. 

PRIEST. [Looking at the King. 

Be it so. Yictory to the King ! [Exit. 

KING. 

Yetravati, I am tired out ; lead the way to the "bed- 
chamber. 

wardee. 
This way, Sire. [They move away. 

KING. 

Do what I will, I cannot call to mind 

That I did e'er espouse the sage's daughter : 

Therefore I have disowned her ; yet 'tis strange 

How painfully my agitated heart 

Bears witness to the truth of her assertion, 

And makes me credit her against my judgment. 

[Exeunt. 




148 



SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST XING. [act vi. 




PEELUDE TO ACT VI. 

Scene, — A Street. 
Enter the King's brother-in-law as Superintendent of the city 
police ; and with him Two Constables, dragging a poor 
Fisherman, who has his hands tied behind his bach. 

BOTH THE CONSTABLES. 

[Striking the prisoner. 

Take that for a rascally thief that you are ; and now tell 

us, sirrah, where you found this ring — aye, the King's own 

signet-ring. See, here is the royal name engraved on the 

setting of the jewel. 

FISHERMAN. [ With a gesture of alarm. 
Mercy ! kind sirs, mercy ! I did not steal it ; indeed I did 
not, 

EIRST CONSTABLE. 

Oh! then I suppose the King took you for some fine 
Brahman, and made you a present of it ? 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 149 

FISHERMAN. 

Only hear me. I am but a poor fisherman, living at 
Sakravatara 

SECOND CONSTABLE. 

Scoundrel, who ever asked you, pray, for a history of your 
birth and parentage ? 

SUPEBINTENDENT. 

[To one of the Constables. 
Suchaka, let the fellow tell his own story from the begin- 
ning. Don't interrupt him. 

BOTH CONSTABLES. 

As you please, master. Go on, then, sirrah, and say what 
you've got to say. 

FTSHEEMAN. 

You see in me a poor man, who supports his family by 
catching fish with nets, hooks, and the like. 

SUPERINTENDENT. [Laughing. 

A most refined occupation, certainly ! 85 

FISHEEMAN. 

'Blame me not for it, master. 

The father's occupation, though despised 
By others, casts no shame upon the son, 



150 &AKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST MING. [act vi. 

And he should not forsake it. 86 Is the priest 
Who kills the animal for sacrifice 
Therefore deemed cruel ? Sure a low-horn man 
May, though a fisherman, he tender-hearted. 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

Well, well ; go on with your story. 

FISHERMAN. 

One day I was cutting open a large carp 87 I had just 
hooked, when the sparkle of a jewel caught my eye, and 
what should I find in the fish's maw hut that ring ! Soon 
afterwards, when I was offering it for sale, I was seized hy 
your honours. Now you know everything. Whether you 
kill me, or whether you let me go, this is the true account 
of how the ring came into my possession. 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

[To one of the Constables. 
Well, Januka, the rascal emits such a fishy odour that I 
have no doubt of his heing a fisherman; hut we must 
inquire a little more closely into this queer story ahout the 
finding of the ring. Come, we'll take him hefore the King's 
household. 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 151 

BOTH CONSTABLES. 

Very good, master. Get on with you, you cutpurse. 

[All move on. 
STTPEEJNTENDENT. 

Now attend, Suchaka ; keep you guard here at the gate ; 
and hark ye, sirrahs, take good care your prisoner does not 
escape, while I go in and lay the whole story of the discovery 
of this ring before the King in person. I will soon return 
and let you know his commands. 

CONSTABLE. 

Go in, master, hy all means ; and may you find favour in 
the King's sight ! [Exit Superintendent. 

FIRST CONSTABLE. [After an interval. 

I say, Januka, the Superintendent is a long time away. 

SECOND CONSTABLE. 

Aye, aye; kings are not to be got at so easily. Folks 
must bide the proper opportunity. 

FIEST CONSTABLE. 

Januka, my fingers itch to strike the first blow at this 
royal victim here. We must kill him with all the honours, 
you know. I long to begin binding the flowers round his 
head. 88 [Pretends to strike a blow at the Fisherman. 



152 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

FISHERMAN. 

Tour honour surely will not put an innocent man to a 
cruel death. 

SECOND CONSTABLE. [Looking. 

There's our Superintendent at last, I declare. See, he is 
coming towards us with a paper in his hand. "We shall soon 
know the King's command ; so prepare, my fine fellow, either 
to become food for the vultures, or to make acquaintance with 
some hungry cur. 

SUPERINTENDENT. [Entering. 

Ho, there, Suchaka! set the fisherman at liberty, I tell 
you. His story about the ring is all correct. 

STJCHAE^.. 

Oh ! very good, sir ; as you please. 

SECOND CONSTABLE. 

The fellow had one foot in hell, and now here he is in the 
land of the living. [Releases him. 

FISHERMAN. 

[Bowing to the Superintendent. 
Now, master, what think you of my way of getting a 
livelihood ? 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

Here, my good man, the King desired me to present you 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 153 

with this purse. It contains a sum of money equal to the 
full value of the ring. [Gives him the money. 

FISHEEMAK. [Taking it and bowing. 

His Majesty does me too great honour. 

STJCHAKA. 

You may well say so. He might as well have taken you 
from the gallows to seat you on his state elephant. 

JAtfUKA. 

Master, the King must value the ring very highly, or he 
would never have sent such a sum of money to this ragamuffin. 

SUPEEENTENDEITT. 

I don't think he prizes it as a costly jewel so much as a 
memorial of some person he tenderly loves. The moment it 
was shown to him he hecame much agitated, though in 
general he conceals his feelings. 

STJCHAEA. 

Then you must have done a great service 

jiNTTKA. 

Yes, to this husband of a fish- wife. 

[Looks enviously at the Fisherman. 
FISHEKJLAN". 

Here's half the money for you, my masters. It will serve 



154 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 



to purchase the flowers you spoke of, if not to buy me your 
good-will. 

jInuka.. 
"Well, now, that's just as it should be. 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

My good fisherman, you are an excellent fellow, and I 
begin to feel quite a regard for you. Let us seal our first 
friendship over a glass of good liquor. Come along to the 
next wine-shop, and we'll drink your health. 

ATT,. 

By all means. 

[Exeunt. 




act vi.] SAEOONTALA; OS, TEE LOST SING. 155 



ACT VI. 

Sce^e. — The Garden of the Palace. 
The nymph SlmjMATf is seen descending in a celestial car. 

SllS T tJMATI. 

Behold me just arrived from attending in my proper turn 
at the nymphs' pool, where I have left the other nymphs to 
perform their ablutions, whilst I seek to ascertain, with my 
own eyes, how it fares with King Dushyanta. My con- 
nexion with the nymph Menaka has made her daughter 
S'akoontala dearer to me than my own flesh and blood ; and 
Menaka it was who charged me with this errand on her 
daughter's behalf. [Looking round in all directions.] How 
is it that I see no preparations in the King's household for 
celebrating the great vernal festival ? 89 I could easily 
discover the reason by my divine faculty of meditation ; 134 
but respect must be shown to the wishes of my friend. How 
then shall I arrive at the truth ? I know what I will do. 



156 SAKOONTALA; OH, TEE LOST MING. [act vi. 

I will become invisible, and place myself near those two 

maidens wbo are tending the plants in the garden. 

[Descends and takes her station. 

Enter a Maiden, who stops in front of a mango-tree and gazes 

at the blossom. Another Maiden is seen behind her. 

EIKST MAIDEN. 

Hail to thee, lovely harbinger of spring ! 
The varied radiance of thy opening flowers 
Is welcome to my sight. I bid thee hail, 
Sweet mango, sonl of this enchanting season. 

SECOND MAIDEN. 

Parabhritika, what are you saying there to yourself? 

EIEST MAIDEN. 

Dear Madhukarika, am I not named after the Ko'il ? 90 and 
does not the Ko'il sing for joy at the first appearance of the 
mango-blossom ? 

SECOND MAIDEN. 

[Approaching hastily, with transport. 

"What ! is spring really come ? 

FIRST MAIDEN. 

Yes, indeed, Madhukarika, and with it the season of joy, 
love, and song. 



act ti.] SAKOONTALA ; OS, TEE LOST RING. 157 

SECOND 2IAEDEX. 

Let me lean upon you, dear, while I stand on tip-toe and 
pluck a blossom of the mango, that I may present it as an 
offering to the god of lore. 

EIKST lilALDEX. 

Provided you let me hare half the reward which the god 
will bestow in return. 

SECOXD 1TAIDEX. 

To be sure you shall, and that without asking. Are we 
not one in heart and soul, though divided in body ? [leans on 
her friend and plucks a mango-blossom.'] Ah ! here is a bud just 
bursting into flower. It diffuses a delicious perfume, though 
not yet quite expanded. {Joining her hands reverentially. 

God of the bow, who with spring's choicest flowers 
Dost point thy five unerring shafts ; 91 to thee 
I dedicate this blossom ; let it serve 
To barb thy truest arrow ; be its mark 
Some youthful heart that pines to be beloved. 

[ Throws down a mango-blossom, 

CHAiEBEELAIX. 

[Entering in a hurried manner, angrily. 
Hold there, thoughtless woman. "What are you about, 



158 



SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST MING. [act vi. 



breaking off those mango-blossoms, when the King has 
forbidden the celebration of the spring festival ? 

BOTH MAIDENS. [Alarmed. 

Pardon ns, kind sir, we have heard nothing of it. 

CHAMBEELATN - . 

Yon have heard nothing of it ? Why, all the vernal plants 
and shrubs, and the very birds that lodge in their branches, 
show more respect to the King's order than you do. 

Yon mango-blossoms, though long since expanded, 
Gather no down upon their tender crests ; 
The flower still lingers in the amaranth, 92 
Imprisoned in its bud ; the tuneful Koil, 
Though winter's chilly dews be overpast, 
Suspends the liquid volume of his song 
Scarce uttered in his throat ; e'en Love, dismayed, 
Restores the half-drawn arrow to his quiver. 

BOTH MAIDENS. 

The mighty power of King Dushyanta is not to be disputed. 

EZRST MAIDEN-. 

It is but a few days since Mitravasu, the King's brother- 
in-law, sent us to wait upon his Majesty; and, during the 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 159 

whole of our sojourn here, we have been entrusted with the 
charge of the royal pleasure-grounds. "We are therefore 
strangers in this place, and heard nothing of the order till 
you informed us of it. 

CHAMBEELAIN. 

"Well then, now you know it, take care you don't continue 
your preparations. 

BOTH MAIDENS. 

But tell us, kind sir, why has the King prohibited the usual 
festivities ? "We are curious to hear, if we may. 

SiNTJMATI. [Aside, 

Men are naturally fond of festive entertainments. There 
must be some good reason for the prohibition. 

CHAMBEBLAIN. 

The whole affair is now public ; why should I not speak 
of it ? Has not the gossip about the King's rejection of 
S'akoontala reached your ears yet ? 

BOTH MAIDENS. 

Oh yes, we heard the story from the King's brother-in-law, 
as far, at least, as the discovery of the ring. 



160 SAKOONTALA ; OB, THE LOST RING. [act ti. 

CHAMBERLAIN". 

Then there is little more to tell you. As soon as the King's 
memory was restored by the sight of his own ring, he 
exclaimed, ' Yes, it is all true. I remember now my secret 
marriage with S'akoontala. When I repudiated her, I had 
lost my recollection.' Ever since that moment, he has yielded 
himself a prey to the bitterest remorse. 

He loathes his former pleasures ; he rejects 
The daily homage of his ministers. 
On his lone couch he tosses to and fro, 
Courting repose in vain. "Whene'er he meets 
The ladies of his palace, and would fain 
Address them with politeness, he confounds 
Their names ; or, calling them ' S'akoontala,' 
Is straightway silent and abashed with shame. 

santjmati. [Aside. 

To me this account is delightful. 

CHAMBERLAIN". 

In short, the King is so completely out of his mind that the 
festival has been prohibited. 

BOTH MAIDENS. 

Perfectly right. 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 161 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

The Xing ! the King ! This way, Sire, this way. 

CHAMBERLAIN. [Listening. 

Oh! here comes his Majesty in this direction. Pass on, 
maidens ; attend to yonr duties. 

BOTH MAIDENS. 
We will, sir. [Exeunt. 

Enter King Dtjshyanta, dressed in deep mourning, attended ly 
his Jester, Mathavya, and 'preceded ly Yeteavati. 

CHAMBERLAIN. [Gazing at the King. 

"Well, nohle forms are certainly pleasing, under all varieties 

of outward circumstances. The King's person is as charming 

as ever, notwithstanding his sorrow of mind. 

Though but a single golden bracelet spans 

His wasted arm ; though costly ornaments 

Have given place to penitential weeds ; 

Though oft-repeated sighs have blanched his lips, 

And robbed them of their bloom ; though sleepless care 

And carking thought have dimmed his beaming eye ; 

11 



162 SAKOONTALA; OH, TEE LOST RING. [act vi. 

Yet does his form, by its inherent lustre, 
Dazzle the gaze ; and, like a priceless gem 
Committed to some cunning polisher, 
Grow more effulgent by the loss of substance. 

SlWUMATI. 

[Aside. Looking at the King. 
Now that I have seen him, I can well understand why 
S'akoontala should pine after such a man, in spite of his 
disdainful rejection of her. 

KING. 
[ Walking slowly up and down in deep thought. 
"When fatal lethargy o'erwhelmed my soul, 
Ky loved one strove to rouse me, but in vain : 
And now, when I would fain in slumber deep 
Forget myself, full soon remorse doth wake me. 

slNUMATI. [Aside. 

My poor S'akoontala' s sufferings are very similar. 

mXthavya. [Aside. 

He is taken with another attack of this odious S'akoontala 
fever. How shall we ever cure him ? 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST MING. 163 

CHAMBERLAIN". [Approaching, 

Victory to the King! Great Prince, the royal pleasure- 
grounds have been put in order. Your Majesty can resort to 
them for exercise and amusement whenever you think proper, 

KING. 

Yetravati, tell the worthy Pisuna, my prime minister, from 
me, that I am so exhausted by want of sleep that I cannot 
sit on the judgment-seat to-day. If any case of importance 
be brought before the tribunal, he must give it his best 
attention, and inform me of the circumstances by letter. 

VETEAVATI. 

Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. [Exit. 

XING. [To the Chamberlain, 

And you, Vatayana, may go about your own affairs. 

CHAHBEELALN. 

I will, Sire. [Exit. 

MATHAVTA. 

Now that you have rid yourself of these troublesome 
fellows, you can enjoy the delightful coolness of your 
pleasure-grounds without interruption. 



i£4 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vi. 

KING. 

Ah! my dear friend, there is an old adage — 'When 
affliction has a mind to enter, she will find a crevice some- 
where ; ' and it is verified in me. 

Scarce is my soul delivered from the cloud 
That darkened its rememhrance of the past, 
"When lo ! the heart-born deity of love 
With yonder blossom of the mango barbs 
His keenest shaft, and aims it at my breast. 

MATHAVTA. 

Well, then, wait a moment • I will soon demolish Master 
Kama's 47 arrow with a cut of my cane. 

[Raises his stick and strikes off the mango-blossom. 

KINO. [Smiling. 

That will do. I see very well the god of love is not a 
match for a Brahman. And now, my dear friend, where 
shall I sit down, that I may enchant my sight by gazing on 
the twining plants, which seem to remind me of the graceful 
shape of my beloved ? 

MATHAVTA. 

Do not you remember ? you told your personal attendant, 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA- OH, THE LOST RING.- 165 

Chaturika, you should pass the heat of the day in the jasmine- 
bower; and commanded her to bring the likeness of your 
Queen Sakoontala, sketched with your own hand. 

KTS"G. 

True. The sight of her picture will refresh my soul. 
Lead the way to the arbour. 

MATHAYYA* 

This way, Sire. 

[Both move on, followed by SanumatI 
MATHAVYA. 

Here we are at the jasmine-bower. Look, it has a marble 
seat, and seems to bid us welcome with its offerings of 
delicious flowers. You have only to enter and sit down. 

[Both enter and seat themselves, 

SAKT7MATI. [Aside. 

I will lean against these young jasmines. I can easily, 
from behind them, glance at my friend's picture, and will 
then hasten to inform her of her husband's ardent affection. 

[Stands leaning against the creepers. 

KTtfO, 

Oh ! my dear friend, how vividly all the circumstances 
of my union with Sakoontala present themselves to my 



166 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act vj. 

recollection at this moment ! But tell me now how it was 
that, between the time of my leaving her in the hermitage 
and my subsequent rejection of her, you never breathed her 
name to me. True, you were not by my side when I dis- 
owned her ; but I had confided to you the story of my love, 
and you were acquainted with every particular. Did it pass 
out of your mind as it did out of mine ? 

JIATHAVYA. 

No, no; trust me for that. But, if you remember, when 
you had finished telling me about it, you added that I was 
not to take the story in earnest, for that you were not really 
in love with a country girl, but were only jesting ; and I was 
dull and thick-headed enough to believe you. But so fate 
decreed, and there is no help for it. 

siNUMATl. [Aside. 

Exactly. 

KING. [After deep thought. 

My dear friend, suggest some relief for my misery. 

MATHAVYA. 

Come, come, cheer up ; why do you give way ? Such 
weakness is unworthy of you. Great men never surrender 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST SING. 167 

themselves to uncontrolled grief. Do not mountains remain 
unshaken even in a gale of wind ? 

How can I be otherwise than inconsolable, when I call to 
mind the agonised demeanour of the dear one on the occasion 
of my disowning her ? 

"When cruelly I spurned her from my presence, 

She fain had left me ; but the young recluse, 

Stern as the Sage, and with authority 

As from his saintly master, in a voice 

That brooked not contradiction, bade her stay. 

Then through her pleading eyes, bedimmed with tears, 

She cast on me one long reproachful look, 

Which like a poisoned shaft torments me still. 

SANTTMATI. [Aside. 

Alas ! such is the force of self-reproach following a rash 
action. But his anguish only rejoices me. 

MATHAVYA. 

An idea has just struck me. I should not wonder if some 
celestial being had carried her off to heaven. 



168 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

KING. 

Very likely. Who else would have dared to lay a finger 
on a wife, the idol of her husband ? It is said that Menaka, 
the nymph of heaven, gave her birth. The suspicion has 
certainly crossed my mind that some of her celestial com- 
panions may have taken her to their own abode. 

santtmati. [Aside. 

His present recollection of every circumstance of her history 
does not surprise me so much as his former forgetfulness. 

MATHAVYA. 

If that's the case, you will be certain to meet her before 
long. 

KING. 

"Why? 

MATHAVYA. 

No father and mother can endure to see a daughter suffering 
the pain of separation from her husband. 

KING. 

Oh ! my dear Mathavya, 

Was it a dream ? or did some magic dire, 
Dulling my senses with a strange delusion, 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 169 

O'ercome my spirit ? or did destiny, 

Jealous of my good actions, mar their fruit, 

And rob me of their guerdon ? It is past, 

Whate'er the spell that hound me. Once again 

Am I awake, but only to behold 

The precipice o'er which my hopes have fallen. 

MATHAVYA. 

Do not despair in this manner. Is not this very ring a 
proof that what has been lost may be unexpectedly found ? 

EHSTG. \Gazing at the ring. 

Ah ! this ring, too, has fallen from a station which it will 
not easily regain, and deserves all my sympathy. 
gem, deserved the punishment we suffer, 
And equal is the merit of our works, 
"When such our common doom. Thou didst enjoy 
The thrilling contact of those slender fingers, 
Bright as the dawn ; and now how changed thy lot ! 

SANTTMATf. [Aside. 

Had it found its way to the hand of any other person, 
then indeed its fate would have been deplorable. 



170 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST MING. [act vi. 

mathavya. 
Pray, how did the ring ever come upon her hand at all ? 

sInumati. [Aside. 

I myself am curious to know. 

KING. 

You shall hear. "When I was leaving my "beloved 
Sakoontala, that I might return to my own capital, she 
said to me, with tears in her eyes, ' How long will it be 
ere my lord send for me to his palace and make me his 
queen ? ' 

MATHAVYA. 

Well, what was your reply ? 

XING. 

Then I placed the ring on her finger, and thus addressed 
her — 

Repeat each day one letter of the name 
Engraven on this gem ; ere thou hast reckoned 
The tale of syllables, my minister 
Shall come to lead thee to thy husband's palace. 
But, hard-hearted man that I was, I forgot to fulfil my pro- 
mise, owing to the infatuation that took possession of me. 



act vi.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 171 

SAXTJMATf. [Aside. 

A pleasant arrangement! Fate, however, ordained that 
the appointment should not be kept. 

mathavya. 
But how did the ring contrive to pass into the stomach of 
that carp which the fisherman canght and was cutting up ? 

It must have slipped from my S'akoontala's hand, and 
fallen into the stream of the Ganges, while she was offering 
homage to the water of S'achi's holy pool. 

mIthayta. 
Yery likely. 

SAKUMATI. [Aside. 

Hence it happened, I suppose, that the King, always fearful 

of committing the least injustice, came to doubt his marriage 

with my poor S'akoontala. But why should affection so 

strong as his stand in need of any token of recognition ? 

HN-a. 
Let me now address a few words of reproof to this ring. 

MATHAYTA. [Aside. 

He is going stark mad, I verily believe. 



172 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST BING. [act vi. 

KING. 

Hear me, thou dull and undiscerning bauble ! 
For so it argues thee, that thou couldst leave 
The slender fingers of her hand, to sink 
Beneath the waters. Yet what marvel is it 
That thou shouldst lack discernment ? let me rather 
Heap curses on myself, who, though endowed 
"With reason, yet rejected her I loved. 

MATHAVYA. [Aside. 

And so, I suppose, I must stand here to be devoured by 
hunger, whilst he goes on in this sentimental strain. 

KING. 

forsaken one, unjustly banished from my presence, take 
pity on thy slave, whose heart is consumed by the fire of 
remorse, and return to my sight. 

Enter Chathrika hurriedly, with a picture in her hand. 

CHATURIKA. 

Here is the Queen's portrait. [Shows the picture. 

MATHAVYA. 

Excellent, my dear friend, excellent! The imitation of 
nature is perfect, and the attitude of the figures is really 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 173 

charming. They stand out in such bold relief that the eye 
is quite deceived. 

sIntjmati. [Aside. 

A most artistic performance ! I admire the King's skill, 
and could almost believe that S'akoontala herself was before 
me. 

-king. 
I own 'tis not amiss, though it pourtrays 
But feebly her angelic loveliness. 
Anght less than perfect is depicted falsely, 
And fancy must supply the imperfection. 

sanumati. [Aside. 

A very just remark from a modest man, whose affection is 
exaggerated by the keenness of his remorse. 

MATHAVTA. 

Tell me, — I see three female figures drawn on the 
canvas, and all of them beautiful ; which of the three is her 
Majesty S'akoontala? 

sanumati. [Aside. 

If he cannot distinguish her from the others, the simpleton 
might as well have no eyes in his head. 



174 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vi. 

KHSTG. 

Which should you imagine to be intended for her ? 

MATHAVYA. 

She who is leaning, apparently a little tired, against the 
stem of that mango-tree, the tender leaves of which glitter 
with the water she has poured upon them. Her arms are 
gracefully extended ; her face is somewhat flushed with the 
heat ; and a few flowers have escaped from her hair, which has 
become unfastened, and hangs in loose tresses about her neck. 
That must be the Queen Sakoontala, and the others, I pre- 
sume, are her two attendants. 

KING. 

I congratulate you on your discernment. Behold the proof 
of my passion ; 

My finger, burning with the glow of love, 93 
Has left its impress on the painted tablet ; 
While here and there, alas ! a scalding tear 
Has fallen on the cheek and dimmed its brightness. 
Chaturika, the garden in the back-ground of the picture 
is only half-painted. Go, fetch the brush that I may 
finish it. 



act vr.] ISAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 175 

CHATUKIKA. 

Worthy Mathavya, have the kindness to hold the picture 
until I return. 

KING. 

Nay, I will hold it myself. [Takes the picture. 

[Exit Chaturika. 

KING. 

My loved one came hut lately to my presence 
And offered me herself, but in my folly 
I spurned the gift, and now I fondly cling 
To her mere image ; even as a madman 
"Would pass the waters of the gushing stream, 
And thirst for airy vapours of the desert. 94 

MATHAVYA. [Aside. 

He has "been fool enough to forego the reality for the 
semblance, the substance for the shadow. [Aloud.] Tell us, 
I pray, what else remains to be painted. 

sanumati. [Aside. 

He longs, no doubt, to delineate some favourite spot where 
my dear Sakoontala delighted to ramble. 



176 SAKOONTALA ; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act vi. 

KING. 

You shall hear — 

I wish to see the Malini pourtrayed, 

Its tranquil course by hanks of sand impeded : 

Upon the brink a pair of swans : beyond, 

The hills adjacent to Himalaya, 95 

Studded with deer ; and, near the spreading shade 

Of some large tree, where 'mid the branches hang 

The hermits' vests of bark, a tender doe, 

Rubbing its downy forehead on the horn 

Of a black antelope, should be depicted. 

MATHAYYA. [Aside. 

Pooh ! if I were he, I would fill up the vacant spaces with 
a lot of grizzly-bearded old hermits. 



M.j dear Mathavya, there is still a part of SakoontaM's 
dress which I purposed to draw, but find I have omitted. 

MATHAVYA. 

What is that ? 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 177 

SANUMATI. [Aside. 

Something suitable, I suppose, to the simple attire of a 
young and beautiful girl dwelling in a forest. 

KING. 

A sweet S'irisha blossom should be twined 
Behind her ear, 7 its perfumed crest depending 
Towards her cheek ; and, resting on her bosom, 
A lotus-fibre necklace, soft and bright 
As an autumnal moonbeam, should be traced. 

MATHAVYA. 

Pray, why does the Queen coyer her lips with the tips of 
her fingers, bright as the blossom of a lily, as if she were 
afraid of something ? [Looking more closely.] Oh ! I see ; a 
vagabond bee, intent on thieving the honey of flowers, has 
mistaken her mouth for a rose-bud, and is trying to settle 
upon it. 

KIXG. 

A bee ! drive off the impudent insect, will you ? 

mathavya. 

That's your business. Your royal prerogative gives you 

power over all offenders. 

12 



178 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

KING. 

Yery true. Listen to me, thou favourite guest of flowering 
plants ; why give thyself the trouble of hovering here ? 
See where thy partner sits on yonder flower, 
And waits for thee ere she will sip its dew. 

SANUHATI. [Aside. 

A most polite way of warning him off ! 

MATHAVYA. 

You'll find the obstinate creature is not to be sent about 
his business so easily as you think. 

KING. 

Dost thou presume to disobey ? Now hear me — 
An thou but touch the lips of my beloved, 
Sweet as the opening blossom, whence I quaffed 
In happier days love's nectar, I will place thee 
Within the hollow of yon lotus cup, 
And there imprison thee for thy presumption. 

mIthavya. 
He must be bold indeed not to show any fear when you 
threaten him with such an awful punishment. [Smiling, aside.'] 
He is stark mad, that's clear; and I believe, by keeping 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 179 

him company, I am beginning to talk almost as wildly, 
[Aloud.'] Look, it is only a painted bee. 

KING. 

Painted? impossible! 

santthati. [Aside. 

Even I did not perceive it ; how much less should he ! 

KING. 

Oh ! my dear friend, why were you so ill-natured as to tell 
me the truth ? 

While, all entranced, I gazed upon her picture, 
My loved one seemed to live before my eyes, 
Till every fibre of my being thrilled 
"With rapturous emotion. Oh ! 'twas cruel 
To dissipate the day-dream, and transform 
The blissful vision to a lifeless image. 

[Sheds tears. 
SAisruirATf. [Aside. 

. Separated lovers are very difficult to please ; but he seems 
more difficult than usual. 

KING. 

Alas ! my dear Mathavya, why am I doomed to be the 
victim of perpetual disappointment ? 



180 SAKOONTALA; OB, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

Vain is the hope of meeting her in dreams, 
For slumber night by night forsakes my couch : 
And now that I would fain assuage my grief 
By gazing on her portrait here "before me, 
Tears of despairing love obscure my sight. 

SANTTMATI. {Aside. 

You have made ample amends for the wrong you did 
S'akoontala in disowning her, 

CHATTIRIKA. [Entering. 

Yictory to the King ! I was coming along with the box of 

colours in my hand 

king. 
What now? 

CHATHRIKA. 

When I met the Queen Yasumati, attended by Taralika. 
She insisted on taking it from me, and declared she would 
herself deliver it into your Majesty's hands. 

MATHAVYA. 

By what luck did you contrive to escape her ? 

CHATTTEIKA. 

"While her maid was disengaging her mantle, which had 
caught in the branch of a shrub, I ran away. 



act vr.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 181 

Here, my good friend, take the picture and conceal it, 
My attentions to the Queen have made her presumptuous. 
She will he here in a minute. 

SIATHAVYA. 

Conceal the picture ! conceal myself, you mean. [Getting up 
and taking the picture.] The Queen has a hitter draught in store 
for you, which you will have to swallow, as S'iva did the 
poison at the Deluge. 96 When you are well quit of her, you 
may send and call me from the Palace of Clouds, 97 where I 
shall take refuge. [Exit, running. 

saVumati. [Aside. 

Although the King's affections are transferred to another 
ohject, yet he respects his previous attachments. I fear his 
love must he somewhat fickle. 

VETEAVATI. 

[Entering with a despatch in her hand. 
Victory to the King ! 

KIN"G. 

Yetravati, did you observe the Queen Tasumati coming in 
this direction ? 



182 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act yi. 

VETRAVATI. 

I did; but when she saw that I had a despatch in my 
hand for your Majesty, she turned back. 

KING. 

The Queen has too much regard for propriety to interrupt 
me when I am engaged with state-affairs. 

VETBAVATI. 

So please your Majesty, your prime minister begs respect- 
fully to inform you that he has devoted much time to the 
settlement of financial calculations, and only one case of 
importance has been submitted by the citizens for his con- 
sideration. He has made a written report of the facts, and 
requests your Majesty to cast your eyes over it. 

XING. 

Hand me the paper. [Vetravati delivers it. 

KING. [Reading. 

What have we here ? 'A merchant named Dhanamitra, 
trading by sea, was lost in a late shipwreck. Though a 
wealthy trader, he was childless; and the whole of his 
immense property becomes by law forfeited to the king.' 
So writes the minister. Alas ! alas ! for his childlessness ! 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RING. 183 

But surely, if lie was wealthy, he must have had many 
wives. Let an inquiry be made whether any one of them 
is expecting to give birth to a child. 

VETEAVATI. 

They say that his wife, the daughter of the foreman of 
a guild belonging to Ayodhya, 98 has just completed the 
ceremonies usual upon such expectations. 

ZING. 

The unborn child has a title to his father's property. Such 
is my decree. Go, bid my minister proclaim it so. 

VETEAVATI. 

I will, my liege. {Going. 

KING. 

Stay a moment. 

VETEAVATI. 

I am at your Majesty's service. 

KING. 

Let there be no question whether he may or may not 
have left offspring ; 

Rather be it proclaimed that whosoe'er 
Of King Dushyanta's subjects be bereaved 



184 



SAKOONTALA; OH, TEE LOST RING. [act vi. 



Of any loved relation, an it be not 
That his estates are forfeited for crimes, 
Dushyanta will himself to them supply 
That kinsman's place in tenderest affection. 

VETRAVATI. 

It shall he so proclaimed. 

{Exit Vetravati, and re-enter 
after an interval. 

VETRAVATI. 

Your Majesty's proclamation was received with accla- 
mations of joy, like grateful rain at the right season. 

KTN"G-. {Drawing a deep sigh. 

So, then, the property of rich men, who have no lineal 
descendants, passes over to a stranger at their decease. And 
such, alas ! must be the fate of the fortunes of the race of 
Puru at my death ; even as when fertile soil is sown with 
seed at the wrong season. 

VETRAVATI. 

Heaven forbid ! 

XING. 

Fool that I was to reject such happiness when it offered 
itself for my acceptance ! 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 185 

SANHMATf. [Aside. 

He may well blame his own folly when he calls to mind 
his treatment of my beloved S'akoontala. 

Ah ! woe is me ! when I forsook my wife — 
My lawful wife — concealed within her breast 
There lay my second self, a child unborn, 
Hope of my race, e'en as the choicest fruit 
Lies hidden in the bosom of the earth. 

SANUHATI. [Aside. 

There is no fear of your race being cut off for want of 
a son. 

CHATTTILLKA. [Aside to Yetravati. 

The affair of the merchant's death has quite upset our 

royal master, and caused him sad distress. Had you not 

better fetch the worthy Mathavya from the Palace of Clouds 

to comfort him ? 

VETEAVATI. 

A very good idea. [Exit. 

KING. 

Alas ! the shades of my forefathers are even now beginning 



186 SAKOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

to be alarmed, lest at my death they may be deprived of their 
funeral libations. 

~No son remains in King Dushyanta's place 

To offer sacred homage to the dead 

Of Puru's noble line : my ancestors 

Must drink these glistening tears, the last libation " 

A childless man can eyer hope to make them. 

[Falls down in an agony of grief. 

chatijrika. 

[looking at him in consternation. 
Great King, compose yourself. 

SANUMATl. [Aside. 

Alas ! alas ! though a bright light is shining near him, he 
is involved in the blackest darkness, by reason of the veil 
that obscures his sight. I will now reveal all, and put an end 
to his misery. But no ; I heard the mother of the great 
Indra, 100 when she was consoling Sakoontala, say, that the 
gods will soon bring about a joyful union between husband 
and wife, being eager for the sacrifice which will be celebrated 
in their honour on the occasion. I must not anticipate the 
happy moment, but will return at once to my dear friend 



act vi.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 187 

and cheer her with an account of what I haye seen and 

heard. [Rises aloft and disappears. 

A VOICE BEHTSD THE SCEN"E3. 

Help ! help ! to the rescue ! 

king. 

[Recovering himself. Listening. 
Ha ! I heard a cry of distress, and in Mathavya's voice 
too. What ho there ! 

VETEAVATI. [Entering. 

Your friend is in danger ; save him, great King. 

EXN"G. 

Who dares insult the worthy Mathavya ? 

VETEAVATI. 

Some evil demon, invisible to human eyes, has seized 
him, and carried him to one of the turrets of the Palace of 
Clouds. 

KING. [Rising. 

Impossible! Have evil spirits power over my subjects, 
even in my private apartments ? Well, well, — 
Daily I seem less able to avert 
Misfortune from myself, and o'er my actions 
Less competent to exercise control ; 



188 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. Tact vi. 

How can I then direct my subjects' ways, 
Or shelter them from tyranny and wrong ? 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Halloo there ! my dear friend ; help ! help ! 



KING. [Advancing with rapid strides. 



Pear nothing- 



THE SAME YOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Pear nothing, indeed! How can I help fearing when 
some monster is twisting back my neck, and is about to snap 
it as he would a sugar-cane ? 

e:ing. [Looking round. 

What ho there ! my bow. 

SLAVE. [Entering with a bow. 

Behold your bow, Sire, and your arm-guard. 

[The king snatches up the bow and arroics. 

ANOTHER VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Here, thirsting for thy life-blood, will I slay thee, 
As a fierce tiger rends his struggling prey. 
Call now thy friend Dushyanta to thy aid ; 
His bow is mighty to defend the weak ; 
Yet all its vaunted power shall be as nought. 



act vi.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 189 

KING. {With fury. 

What ! dares he defy me to my face ? Hold there, 
monster! Prepare to die, for your time is come. [Stringing 
his bow.] Vetravati, lead the way to the terrace. 

VETKAVATI. 
This way, Sire. [They advance in haste. 

KING. [Looking on every side. 

How's this ? there is nothing to he seen. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Help ! Save me ! I can see you, though you cannot see 
me . I am like a mouse in the claws of a cat ; my life is not 
worth a minute's purchase. 

EXRTG. 

Avaunt, monster ! You may pride yourself on the magic 
that renders you invisible, hut my arrow shall find you out. 
Thus do I fix a shaft 

That shall discern between an impious demon 
And a good Brahman ; bearing death to thee, 
To him deliverance — even as the swan 

Distinguishes the milk from worthless water. 101 

[Takes aim. 



190 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 

Enter Matali, 102 holding Mathavya, whom he releases. 

MATALI. 

Turn thou thy deadly arrows on the demons ; 
Such is the will of Indra ; let thy how 
Be drawn against the enemies of the gods ; 
But on thy friends cast only looks of favour. 

KING. [Putting bach his arrow. 

"What, Matali ! "Welcome, most noble charioteer of the 
mighty Indra. 

MATHAVYA. 

So, here is a monster who thought as little about slaughter- 
ing me as if I had been a bullock for sacrifice, and you must 
e'en greet him with a welcome. 

MATALI. [Smiling. 

Great Prince, hear on what errand Indra sent me into 
your presence. 

KING. 

I am all attention. 

MATALI. 

There is a race of giants, the descendants of Kalanemi, 103 
whom the gods find difficult to subdue. 

KING. 

So I have already heard from Narada. 104 



act vi.] XAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 191 

mXtali. 
Heaven's mighty lord, who deigns to call thee ' friend,' 
Appoints thee to the post of highest honour, 
As leader of his armies ; and commits 
The subjugation of this giant hrood 
To thy resistless arms, e'en as the sun 
Leaves the pale moon to dissipate the darkness. 
Let your Majesty, therefore, ascend at once the celestial car 
of Indra ; and, grasping your arms, advance to victory. 

KING. 

The mignty Indra honours me too highly hy such a mark 
of distinction. But tell me, what made you act thus towards 
my poor friend Miithavya ? 

MATALI. 

I will tell you. Perceiving that your Majesty's spirit was 
completely broken by some distress of mind under which you 
were labouring, I determined to rouse your energies by 
moving you to anger. Because 

To light a flame, we need but stir the embers ; 
The cobra, when incensed, extends his head 
And springs upon his foe ; the bravest men 
Display their courage only when provoked. 



I 
192 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vi. 



KING. [Aside to Mathavya. 

My dear Mathavya, the commands of the great Indra must 
not be left unfulfilled. Go you and acquaint my minister, 
Pisuna, with what has happened, and say to him from me, 
Dushyanta to thy care confides his realm — 
Protect with all the vigour of thy mind 
The interests of my people ; while my bow 
Is braced against the enemies of heaven. 

MATHAVYA. 

I obey. [Exit. 

MAT ALL 

Ascend, illustrious Prince. {The King ascends the car. 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OS, TEE ZOST SING. 193 



ACT VII. 

Scene. — The Shy. 

Enter King Dushyanta and Matali in the car of Indra, 
moving in the air. 

ZING. 

My good Matali, it appears to me incredible that I can 
merit such a mark of distinction for having simply fulfilled 
the behests of the great Indra. 

MATALI. [Smiling. 

Great Prince, it seems to me that neither of you is satisfied 
with himself. 

You underrate the service you have rendered, 
And think too highly of the god's reward : 
He deems it scarce sufficient recompense 
For your heroic deeds on his behalf. 

KING. 

Nay, Matali, say not so. My most ambitious expectations 

13 



194 SAKOONTALA; OE, THE LOST KING. [act vii. 

were more than realised by the honour conferred on me at the 
moment when I took my leave. For, 

Tinged with celestial sandal, from the breast 105 
Of the great Indra, where before it hung, 
A garland of the ever-blooming tree 
Of Nandana 106 was cast about my neck 
By his own hand : while, in the very presence 
Of the assembled gods, I was enthroned 
Beside their mighty lord, who smiled to see 
His son Jayanta 107 envious of the honour. 
mItalt. 
There is no mark of distinction which your Majesty does 
not deserve at the hands of the immortals. See, 

Heaven's hosts acknowledge thee their second saviour ; 
For now thy bow's unerring shafts (as erst 
The lion-man's terrific claws, 108 ) have purged 
The empyreal sphere from taint of demons foul. 
ki^g. 
The praise of my victory must be ascribed to the majesty 
of Indra. 

"When mighty gods make men their delegates 
In martial enterprise, to them belongs 



act vii.] SAEOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. 195 

The palm of victory ; and not to mortals. 
Could the pale Dawn dispel the shades of night, 
Did not the god of day, whose diadem 
Is jewelled with a thousand beams of light, 
Place him in front of his effulgent car ? u 

MATALI. 

A very just comparison. [Driving on.'] Great King, behold ! 
the glory of thy fame has reached even to the vault of heaven. 
Hark ! yonder inmates of the starry sphere 
Sing anthems worthy of thy martial deeds, 
While with celestial colours they depict 
The story of thy victories on scrolls 
Formed of the leaves of heaven's immortal trees. 

KING. 

My good Matali, yesterday, when I ascended the sky, I 
was so eager to do battle with the demons, that the road by 
which we were travelling towards Indra's heaven escaped my 
observation. Tell me, in which path of the seven winds are 
we now moving ? 

MATALI. 

We journey in the path of Parivaha ; 109 

The wind that bears along the triple Ganges, 110 



196 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vii. 

And causes Ursa's seven stars to roll 

In their appointed orbits, scattering 

Their several rays with equal distribution. 

9 Tis the same path that once was sanctified 

By the divine impression of the foot 

Of Yishnu, when, to conquer haughty Bali, 

He spanned the heavens in his second stride. 111 

KING. 

This is the reason, I suppose, that a sensation of calm 
repose pervades all my senses. [Looking down at the wheels.] 
Ah! Matali, we are descending towards the earth's atmo- 
sphere. 

MATALI. 

"What makes you think so ? 

KING. 

The car itself instructs me ; we are moving 

O'er pregnant clouds, surcharged with rain ; below us 

I see the moisture-loving Chatakas m 

In sportive flight dart through the spokes ; the steeds 

Of Indra glisten with the lightning's flash ; 

And a thick mist bedews the circling wheels. 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST EIKG. 197 

MATALI. 

You are right ; in a little while the chariot will touch the 
ground, and you will be in your own dominions. 

EXXG. \LooJ:ing down. 

How wonderful is the appearance of the earth as we 
rapidly descend ! 

Stupendous prospect ! yonder lofty hills 

Do suddenly uprear their towering heads 

Amid the plain, while from beneath their crests 

The ground receding sinks ; the trees, whose stems 

Seemed lately hid within their leafy tresses, 

Rise into elevation, and display 

Their branching shoulders ; yonder streams, whose waters, 

Like silver threads, but now were scarcely seen, 

Grow into mighty rivers ; lo ! the earth 

Seems upward hurled by some gigantic power. 

MATALI. 

"Well described ! [Looking with awe.] Grand, indeed, and 
lovely is the spectacle presented by the earth. 

KDfG. 

Tell me, Matali, what is that range of mountains which, 
like a bank of clouds illumined by the setting sun, pours 



198 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vir. 

down a stream of gold ? On one side its base dips into the 
eastern ocean, and on the other side into the western. 

MATALI. 

Great Prince, it is called * Golden-peak,' m and is the 
abode of the attendants of the god of wealth. In this spot 
the highest forms of penance are wrought out. 
There Kasyapa, 114 the great progenitor 
Of demons and of gods, himself the offspring 
Of the divine Harichi, Brahma's son, 
With Aditi, his wife, in calm seclusion, 
Does holy penance for the good of mortals. 

KING. 

Then I must not neglect so good an opportunity of obtain- 
ing his blessing. I should much like to visit this venerable 
personage and offer him my homage. 

MATALI. 

By all means. An excellent idea ! 

[Guides the car to the earth. 

KING. [In a tone of wonder. 

How's this? 

Our chariot wheels move noiselessly. Around 

No clouds of dust arise ; no shock betokened 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 199 

Our contact with the earth ; we seem to glide 
Above the ground, so lightly do we touch it. 

mItali. 
Such is the difference between the car of Indra and that of 
your Majesty. 

KING. 

In which direction, Matali, is Kasyapa's sacred retreat ? 

MATALI. {Pointing. 

Where stands yon anchorite, towards the orb 
Of the meridian sun, immoveable 
As a tree's stem, his body half-concealed 
By a huge ant-hill. Bound about his breast 
No sacred cord is twined, 115 but in its stead 
A hideous serpent's skin. In place of necklace, 
The tendrils of a withered creeper chafe 
His wasted neck. His matted hair depends 
In thick entanglement about his shoulders, 
And birds construct their nests within its folds. 116 

KING. 

I salute thee, thou man of austere devotion. 



200 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vii. 

«. matali. 

[Eolding in the reins of the car. 
Great Prince, we are now in the sacred grove of the holy 
Kasyapa — the grove. that boasts as its ornament one of the 
five trees of Indra's heaven, reared by Aditi. 

KING. 

This sacred retreat is more delightful than heaven itself. 
I could almost fancy myself bathing in a pool of nectar. 

MATALI. [Stopping the chariot. 

Descend, mighty Prince. 

KING. [Descending. 

And what will you do, Matali ? 

MATALI. 

The chariot will remain where I have stopped it. We may 
both descend. [Doing so.] This way, great King. [Walking on.] 
You see around you the celebrated region where the holiest 
sages devote themselves to penitential rites. 

KING. 

I am filled with awe and wonder as I gaze. 
In such a place as this do saints of earth 
Long to complete their acts of penance ; here, 
Beneath the shade of everlasting trees, 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 201 

Transplanted from the groves of Paradise, 
May they inhale the balmy air, and need 
No other nourishment ; m here may they bathe 
In fountains sparkling with the golden dust 
Of lilies ; here, on jewelled slabs of marble, 
In meditation rapt, may they recline ; 
Here, in the presence of celestial nymphs, 
E'en passion's voice is powerless to move them. 

matali. 

So true is it that the aspirations of the good and great are 
ever soaring upwards. [Turning round and speaking off the stage.'] 
Tell me, Yriddha-sakalya, how is the divine son of Marichi 
now engaged? What sayest thou? that he is conversing 
with Aditi and some of the wives of the great sages, and that 
they are questioning him respecting the duties of a faithful 
wife? 

KING. [Listening. 

Then we must await the holy father's leisure. 

DfATALl. [Looking at the King. 

If your Majesty will rest under the shade, at the foot of 
this Asoka-tree, 118 I will seek an opportunity of announcing 
your arrival to Indra's reputed father. 



202 SAKOONTALA ; OR, TEE LOST RLNG. [act vii. 

king. 
As you think proper. [Remains under the tree. 

MATALI. 

Great Xing, I go. [Exit. 

KING. [Feeling his arm throb. 

Wherefore this causeless throbbing, mine arm ? 18 
All hope has fled for ever ; mock me not 
With presages of good, when happiness 
Is lost, and nought but misery remains. 

A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. 

Ee not so naughty. Do you begin already to show a 
refractory spirit? 

KING. [Listening. 

This is no place for petulance. Who can it be whose 
behaviour calls for such a rebuke ? [Looking in the direction of 
the sound and smiling.'] A child, is it ? closely attended by two 
holy women. His disposition seems anything but child-like. 
See, 

He braves the fury of yon lioness 
Suckling its savage offspring, and compels 
The angry whelp to leave the half-sucked dug, 
Tearing its tender mane in boisterous sport. 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 203 

Enter a Child, attended by Two Women of the hermitage, in 
the manner described. 

CHILD. 

Open your mouth, my young lion, I want to count your 
teeth. 

FIRST ATTENDANT. 

You naughty child, why do you teaze the animals ? Know 
you not that we cherish them in this hermitage as if they were 
our own children? In good sooth, you have a high spirit 
of your own, and are beginning already to do justice to the 
name Sarva-damana (All-taming), given you by the hermits. 

EXNG. 

Strange ! My heart inclines towards the boy with almost 
as much affection as if he were my own child. What can be 
the reason ? I suppose my own childlessness makes me yearn 
towards the sons of others. 

SECOND ATTENDANT. 

This lioness will certainly attack you if you do not release 

her whelp. 

CHILD. [Laughing. 

Oh ! indeed ! let her come. Much I fear her, to be sure ! 

[Fonts his under-lip in defiance. 



204 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST MING. [act vii. 

KING. 

The germ of mighty courage lies concealed 
"Within this noble infant, like a spark 
Beneath the fuel, waiting but a breath 
To fan the name and raise a conflagration. 

FIRST ATTENDANT. 

Let the young lion go, like a dear child, and I will give 
you something else to play with. 

CHILD. 

Where is it ? Give it me first. [Stretches out his hand. 

KING-. [Looking at his hand. 

How's this? His hand exhibits one of those mystic 
marks 84 which are the sure prognostic of universal empire. 
See! 

His fingers stretched in eager expectation 
To grasp the wished-for toy, and knit together 
By a close-woven web, in shape resemble 
A lotus blossom, whose expanding petals 
The early dawn has only half unfolded. 

SECOND ATTENDANT. 

We shall never pacify him by mere words, dear Suvrata. 
Be kind enough to go to my cottage, and you will find there 



act vii.] .SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 205 

a plaything belonging to Markandeya, one of the hermit's 
children. It is a peacock made of China-ware, painted in 
many colours. Bring it here for the child. 

FIEST ATTENDANT. 

Very well. [Exit. 

CHILD. 

No, no ; I shall go on playing with the young lion. 

[Looks at the Female Attendant and laughs. 

EXN"G. 

I feel an unaccountable affection for this wayward child. 
How blessed the virtuous parents whose attire 
Is soiled with dust, by raising from the ground 
The child that asks a refuge in their arms ! 
And happy are they while with lisping prattle, 
In accents sweetly inarticulate, 
He charms their ears ; and with his artless smiles 
Gladdens their hearts, 119 revealing to their gaze 
His tiny teeth just budding into view. 

ATTENDANT. 

I see how it is. He pays me no manner of attention. 
[Looking of the stage.] I wonder whether any of the hermits 



206 SAKOONTALA ; OB, THE LOST MING. [act tii. 

are about here. {Seeing the King.] Kind Sir, could you come 
hither a moment and help me to release the young lion from 
the clutch of this child, who is teazing him in boyish play ? 

KINO. [Approaching and smiling. 

Listen to me, thou child of a mighty saint. 

Dost thou dare show a wayward spirit here ? 
Here, in this hallowed region ? . Take thou heed 
Lest, as the serpent's young denies the sandal, 71 
Thou bring dishonour on the holy sage, 
Thy tender-hearted parent, who delights 
To shield from harm the tenants of the wood. 

ATTENDANT. 

Gentle Sir, I thank you ; but he is not the saint's son. 

KING. 

His behaviour and whole bearing would have led me to 
doubt it, had not the place of his abode encouraged the idea. 
[Follows the child, and takes him by the hand, according 
to the request of the attendant. Aside. 

I marvel that the touch of this strange child 
Should thrill me with delight ; if so it be, 
How must the fond caresses of a son 
Transport the father's soul who gave him being ! 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 207 

ATTENDANT. [Looking at them both. 

Wonderful ! Prodigious ! 

KING. 

What excites your surprise, my good woman ? 

ATTENDANT. 

I am astonished at the striking resemblance between the 
child and yourself ; and, what is still more extraordinary, he 
seems to have taken to you kindly and submissively, though 
you are a stranger to him. 

KING. [Fondling: the child. 

If he be not the son of the great sage, of what family does 
he come, may I ask ? 

ATTENDANT. 

Of the race of Puru. 

KING. [Aside. 

What ! are we, then, descended from the same ancestry ? 
This, no doubt, accounts for the resemblance she traces 
between the child and me. Certainly it has always been 
an established usage among the princes of Puru's race, 
To dedicate the morning of their days 
To the world's weal, in palaces and halls, 
'Mid luxury and regal pomp abiding ; 



208 SAKOONTALA ; OB, TEE LOST MING. [act vii. 

Then, in the wane of life, to seek release 
From kingly cares, and make the hallowed shade 
Of sacred trees their last asylum, where 
As hermits they may practise self-abasement, 
And bind themselves by rigid vows of penance. 

[Aloud.] But how could mortals by their own power gain 

admission to this sacred region ? 

ATTENDANT. 

Your remark is just ; but your wonder will cease when I 
tell you that his mother is the offspring of a celestial nymph, 
and gave him birth in the hallowed grove of Kasyapa. 

king. [Aside. 

Strange that my hopes should be again excited ! [Aloud.] 
But what, let me ask, was the name of the prince whom she 
deigned to honour with her hand ? 

ATTENDANT. 

How could I think of polluting my lips by the mention of 
a wretch who had the cruelty to desert his lawful wife ? 

king. [Aside. 

Ha! the description suits me exactly. "Would I could 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 209 

bring myself to inquire the name of the child's mother ! 
{Reflecting.'] But it is against propriety to make too minute 
inquiries about the wife of another man. 120 

FIEST ATTENDANT. 

{Entering with the china peacock in her hand. 
Sarva-damana, Sarva-damana, see, see, what a beautiful 
S'akoonta (bird). 

CHILD. {Looking round. 

Hy mother ! "\7here ? Let me go to her. 

BOTH ATTENDANTS. 

He mistook the word S'akoonta for S'akoontala. The boy 
dotes upon his mother, and she is ever uppermost in his 
thoughts. 

SECOND ATTENDANT. 

Nay, my dear child, I said, Look at the beauty of this 
S'akoonta. 

KING. [Aside. 

^Ynat ! is his mother's name S'akoontala ? But the name is 
not uncommon among women. Alas ! I fear the mere simi- 
larity of a name, like the deceitful vapour of the desert, 95 has 
once more raised my hopes only to dash them to the ground. 

14 



21-0 SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vii. 

CHILD. 

Dear nurse, what a beautiful peacock ! [Takes the toy. 

ETRST ATTENDANT. 

[Looking at the child. In great distress. 
Alas ! alas ! I do not see the amulet on his wrist. 

KING. 

Don't distress yourself. Here it is. It fell off while he 
was struggling with the young lion. [Stoops to pick it up. 

BOTH ATTENDANTS. 

Hold! hold! Touch it not, for your life. How mar- 
vellous ! He has actually taken it up without the slightest 

hesitation. [Both raise their hands to their breasts and look 

at each other in astonishment. 

EXNG-. 
Why did you try to prevent my touching it ? 

FIRST ATTENDANT. 

Listen, great Monarch. This amulet, known as ' The 
Invincible,' was given to the boy by the divine son of 
Marichi, soon after his birth, when the natal ceremony was 
performed. Its peculiar virtue is, that when it falls on the 
ground, no one excepting the father or mother of the child 
can touch it unhurt. 



act vii.] SAKOOXTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 211 

KING. 

And suppose another person touches it ? 

% * 

FIKST ATTENDANT. 

Then it instantly becomes a serpent, and bites him. 

KING. 

Have you ever witnessed the transformation with your 
own eyes ? 

BOTH ATTENDANTS, 

Over and over again. 

KING. [ With rapture. Aside. 

J°y • j°y • Are then my dearest hopes to be fulfilled ? 

[Embraces the child. 
SECOND ATTENDANT. 

Come, my dear Suvrata; we must inform Sakoontala imme- 
diately of this wonderful event, though we have to interrupt 
her in the performance of her religious vows. [Exeunt. 

child. [To the King. 

Do not hold me. I want to go to my mother. 

KING. 

We will go to her together, and give her joy, my son. 

CHILD. 

Dushyanta is my father, not you. 



212 SAKOONTALA; OR, TSE LOST RING. [act vii. 

KING. [Smiling. 

His contradiction convinces me only the more. 

Enter S'akoontala, in widow's apparel, with her long hair 
twisted into a single braid. 



SAKOOKTALA. [Aside. 

I have just heard that Sarva-damana's amulet has retained 
its form, though a stranger raised it from the ground. I can 
hardly believe in my good fortune. Yet why should not 
Sanumati's prediction he verified ? 

KLSTG. [Gazing at Sakoontala. 

Alas ! can this indeed be my Sakoontala ? 
Clad in the weeds of widowhood, her face 
Emaciate with fasting, her long hair 
Twined in a single braid, 121 her whole demeanour 
Expressive of her purity of soul : 
"With patient constancy she thus prolongs 
The vow to which my cruelty condemned her. 

sakoontala. 
[Gazing at the Kixg, who is pale with remorse. 
Surely this is not like my husband ; yet who can it be that 



act vn.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING; 213 

dares pollute by the pressure of his hand my child, whose 
amulet should protect him from a stranger's touch? 

CHILD. [Going to his mother. 

Mother, who is this man that has been kissing me and 
calling me his son ? 

KING. 

My best beloved, I have indeed treated thee most cruelly, 
but am now once more thy fond and affectionate lover. 
Refuse not to acknowledge me as thy husband. 

sakoontala. [Aside. 

Be of good cheer, my heart. The anger of Destiny is at 
last appeased. Heaven regards thee with compassion. But 
is he in very truth my husband ? 

KLXG. 

Behold me, best and loveliest of women, 
Delivered from the cloud of fatal darkness 
That erst oppressed my memory. Again 
Behold us brought together by the grace 
Of the great lord of Heaven. So the moon 
Shines forth from dim eclipse, 122 to blend his rays 
With the soft lustre of his Bohini. 



214 SAKOONTALA; OB, TEE LOST RING. [act vir, 

SAKOONTALA. 

May my husband be victorious 



[She stops short, her voice choked with tears. 
KING. 

fair one, though the utterance of thy prayer 
Be lost amid the torrent of thy tears, 
Yet does the sight of thy fair countenance, 
And of thy pallid lips, all unadorned 123 
And colourless in sorrow for my absence, 
Make me already more than conqueror. 

CHILD. 

Mother, who is this man ? 

SAKOONTALA. 

My child, ask the deity that presides oyer thy destiny. 

■ KING. [Falling at Sakoontala's/^. 
Fairest of women, banish from thy mind 
The memoiy of my cruelty ; reproach 
The fell delusion that o'erpowered my soul, 
And blame not me, thy husband ; 'tis the curse 
Of him in whom the power of darkness 12A reigns, 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RIXG. 215 

That he mistakes the gifts of those he loYes 
For deadly evils. Even though a friend 
Should wreathe a garland on a blind man's brow, 
Will he not cast it from him as a serpent ? 

SAKOOINTALA. 

Rise, my own husband, rise. Thou wast not to blame. 
My own evil deeds, committed in a former state of being, 37 
brought down this judgment upon me. How else could my 
husband, who was ever of a compassionate disposition, have 
acted so unfeelingly? [The King rises. - ] But tell me, my 
husband, how did the remembrance of thine unfortunate wife 
return to thy mind ? 

KIXG. 

As soon as my heart's anguish is removed, and its wounds 
are healed, I will tell thee all. 

Oh ! let me, fair one, chase away the drop 
That still bedews the fringes of thine eye ; 
And let me thus efface the memory 
Of every tear that stained thy velvet cheek, 
Unnoticed and unheeded by thy lord, 
When in his madness he rejected thee. 

[Wipes away the tear. 



216 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vii. 

sakoontala. 

[Seeing the signet-ring on his finger. 
Ah ! my dear husband, is that the Lost Ring ? 

king. 
Yes ; the moment I recovered it, my memory was restored. 

SAKOONTALA. 

The ring was to blame in allowing itself to be lost at the 
very time when I was anxious to convince my noble husband 
of the reality of my marriage. 

KING. 

Eeceive it back, as the beautiful twining plant receives 
again its blossom in token of its reunion with the spring. 

SAKOONTALA. 

Kay ; I can never more place confidence in it. Let my 
husband retain it. 

Enter Matali. 

MATALI. 

I congratulate your Majesty. Happy are you in your 
reunion with your wife : happy are you in beholding the 
face of your own son. 



act vil] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 217 

KING. 

Yes, indeed. My heart's dearest wish has borne sweet 
fruit. But tell me, Matali, is this joyful event known to the 
great Indra ? 

MATALI. [Smiling. 

What is unknown to the gods? But come with me, noble 
Prince, the divine Kasyapa graciously permits thee to be 
presented to him. 

KING. 

S'akoontala, take our child and lead the way. "We will 
together go into the presence of the holy Sage. 

SAKOONTALl. 

I shrink from entering the august presence of the great 
Saint, even with my husband at my side. 

KING. 

i Kay; on such a joyous occasion it is highly proper. Come, 

come ; I entreat thee. [All advance. 

Kasyapa is discovered seated on a throne with his wife Aditi. 

KASYAPA. 

[Gazing at Dushyanta. To his wife. 
Aditi, 

This is the mighty hero, King Dushyanta, 

Protector of the earth : who, at the head 



218 1SAK00NTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. [act vii. 

Of the celestial armies of thy son, 
Does battle with the enemies of heaven. 
Thanks to his bow, the thunderbolt of Indra 
Rests from its work, no more the minister 
Of death and desolation to the world, 
But a mere symbol of divinity. 

ADITI. 

He bears in his noble form all the marks of dignity. 

HATALI. [To DlJSHYANTA. 

Sire, the venerable progenitors of the celestials are gazing 
at your Majesty with as much affection as if you were their 
son. You may advance towards them. 

KING. 

Are these, Matali, the holy pair, 

Offspring of Daksha and divine Marichi, 

Children of Brahma's sons, 125 by sages deemed 

Sole fountain of celestial light, diffused 

Through twelve effulgent orbs ? 1U Are these the pair 

From whom the ruler of the triple world, 126 

Sovereign of gods and lord of sacrifice, 

Sprang into being ? That immortal pair 

"Whom Yishnu, greater than the self- existent, 



127 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 219 

Chose for his parents, when, to save mankind, 
He took upon himself the shape of mortals ? 

MATALI. 

Even so. 

EXN T G. [Prostrating himself. 

Most august of beings, Dushyanta, content to have fulfilled 
the commands of your son Indra, offers you his adoration. 

KASYAPA. 

My son, long may'st thou live, and happily may'st thou 
reign over the earth ! 

ADITI. 

My son, may'st thou ever be invincible in the field of 
battle ! 

SAKOONTALA. 

I also prostrate myself before you, most adorable beings, 
and my child with me. 

KASYAPA. 

My daughter, 

Thy lord resembles Indra, and thy child 
Is noble as Jayanta, Indra' s son ; 
I have no worthier blessing left for thee, 
May'st thou be faithful as the god's own wife ! 



220 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. [act vii. 



ADITI. 

My daughter, may'st thou be always the object of thy 
husband's fondest love ; and may thy son live long to be the 
joy of both his parents ! Be seated. 

[All sit down in the presence of Kasyapa. 

KASYAPA. 

[Regarding each of them by turns. 
Hail to the beautiful S'akoontala ! 
Hail to her noble son ! and hail to thee, 
Illustrious Prince ! Rare triple combination 
Of virtue, wealth, and energy united ! 

ZING. 

Most venerable Kasyapa, by your favour all my desires 
were accomplished even before I was admitted to your pre- 
sence. Kever was mortal so honoured that his boon should 
be granted ere it was solicited. Because 

Bloom before fruit, the clouds before the rain — 
Cause first and then effect, in endless sequence, 
Is the unchanging law of constant nature : 
But, ere the blessing issued from thy lips, 
The wishes of my heart were all fulfilled. 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA ; OR, THE LOST RING. 221 

MATALI. 

It is thus that the great progenitors of the world confer 
favours. 

EXN"G. 

Most reverend Sage, this thy handmaid was married to me 
by the Gandharva ceremony, 55 and after a time was conducted 
to my palace by her relations. Meanwhile a fatal delusion 
seized me; I lost my memory and rejected her, thus com- 
mitting a grievous offence against the venerable Kanwa, who 
is of thy divine race. Afterwards the sight of this ring 
restored my faculties, and brought back to my mind all the 
circumstances of my union with his daughter. But my con- 
duct still seems to me incomprehensible ; 
As foolish as the fancies of a man 
"Who, when he sees an elephant, denies 
That 'tis an elephant, yet afterwards, 
"When its huge bulk moves onward, hesitates, 
Yet will not be convinced till it has passed 
For ever from his sight, and left behind 
No vestige of its presence save its footsteps. 

KASYAPA. 

My son, cease to think thyself in fault. Even the delusion 



222 SAKOONTALA; OS, THE LOST RING. [act vit. 

that possessed thy mind was not brought about by any act of 
thine. Listen to me. 

KING. 

I am attentive. 

XASYAPA. 

Know that when the nymph Menaka, the mother of 
S'akoontala, became aware of her daughter's anguish in 
consequence of the loss of the ring at the nymphs' pool, 
and of thy subsequent rejection of her, she brought her and 
confided her to the care of Aditi. And I no sooner saw her 
than I ascertained by my divine power of meditation, 134 that 
thy repudiation of thy poor faithful wife had been caused 
entirely by the curse of Durvasas — not by thine own fault — 
and that the spell would terminate on the discovery of the 
ring. 

ZING. [Drawing a deep breath. 

Oh ! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my 
character is cleared of reproach. 

SAKOONTAii. [Aside. 

J°y- joy ! My revered husband did not, then, reject me 
without good reason, though I have no recollection of the 
curse pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I uncon- 
sciously brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OR, TEE LOST RING. 223 

being separated from my husband soon after our marriage. 
For I now remember that my two friends advised me not to 
fail to show the ring in case he should have forgotten me. 

KASYAPA. 

At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained 
thy heart's desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment 
against thy partner. See, now, 

Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse 
That clouded his remembrance ; 'tAvas the curse 
That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee. 
Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul 
Delivered from its darkness, in a moment 
Thou didst regain thine empire o'er his heart. 
So on the tarnished surface of a mirror 
No image is reflected, till the dust 
That dimmed its wonted lustre is removed. 

KING. 

Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race. 

[ lakes his child by the hand. 

KASTAPA. 

Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the whole 
earth. Observe, 



224 SAKOONTALA ; OH, TEE LOST RING. [act vii. 

Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross 

The trackless ocean, borne above the waves 

In an aerial car ; and shall snbdue 

The earth's seven sea-girt isles. 123 Now has he gained, 

As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts, 

The title Sarva-damana ; but then 

Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata, 129 

And call him the supporter of the world. 

KING. 

We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for 
whom your highness performed the natal rites. 

ADITI. 

My revered husband, should not the intelligence be con- 
veyed to Xanwa, that his daughter's wishes are fulfilled, and 
her happiness complete? He is S'akoontala's foster-father. 
Menaka, who is one of my attendants, is her mother, and 
dearly does she love her daughter. 



SAKOONTALA. 

The venerable matron has given utterance to the very wish 
that was in my mind. 



act vir.] SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. 225 

KASYAPA. 

His penances have gained for him the faculty of om- 
niscience, and the whole scene is already present to his 
mind's eye. 

XING. 

Then most assuredly he cannot be very angry with me. 

KASYAPA. 

Nevertheless it becomes us to send him intelligence of this 
happy event, and hear his reply. "What, ho there ! 

PUPIL. {Entering. 

Holy father, what are your commands ? 

KASYAPA. 

My good Galava, delay not an instant, but hasten through 
the air and convey to the venerable Kanwa, from me, the 
happy news that the fatal spell has ceased, that Dushyanta's 
memory is restored, that his daughter S'akoontala has a son, 
and that she is once more tenderly acknowledged by her 
husband. 

PT7PIL. 

Your highness' s commands shall be obeyed. [Exit. 

15 



226 SAKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST EING. [act vii. 

KASYAPA. 

And now, my dear son, take thy consort and thy child, 
re-ascend the car of Indra, and return to thy imperial 
capital. 

KTNG. 

Most holy father, I ohey. 

KASYAPA. 

And accept this blessing — 

For countless ages may the god of gods, 

Lord of the atmosphere, by copious showers 

Secure abundant harvest to thy subjects ; 

And thou by frequent offerings preserve 

The Thunderer's friendship ! Thus, by interchange 

Of kindly actions, may you both confer 

Unnumbered benefits on earth and heaven ! 

kiisto. 
Holy father, I will strive, as far as I am able, to attain 
this happiness. 

KASYAPA. 

What other favour can I bestow on thee, my son ? 



act vii.] SAKOONTALA; OE, TEE LOST EIXG. 



22; 



KIXG. 

"What other can I desire ? If, however, you permit me 
to form another wish, I would hnmbly beg that the saying 
of the sage Bharata 13 ° be fulfilled : 

May kings reign only for their subjects' weal ! 
May the divine Saraswati, 131 the source 
Of speech, and goddess of dramatic art, 
Be ever honoured by the great and wise ! 
And may the purple self-existent god, 132 
"Whose vital Energy 133 pervades all space, 
Prom future transmigrations save my soul ! 

[Exeunt omnes. 




NOTES. 



1 Is a preserve you. 

That is to say, ' the Supreme Lord,' a name given to the god Siva, the 
Destroyer ; who is associated with Brahma, the Creator, and Vishnu, the 
Preserver : constituting with them the Hindu Triad. Kalidasa indulges 
the religious predilections of his fellow-townsmen by beginning and 
ending the play with a prayer to Siva, who had a large temple in TJjjayini, 
the modern Oujein, the city of Vikramaditya, situated north-eastward 
from Gujarat. 

2 In these eight forms. 

The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of believing 
that Siva was himself all that exists, as well as the cause of all that is, 
held that there were eight different manifestations of their god, called 
Eudras ; and that these had their types in the eight visible forms enu- 
merated here. The Hindus reckon five elements. The most subtle is 
Ether (dkds'a), supposed to convey sound, which is its peculiar attribute 
or property (gicna). The next element — Air, has for its properties sound 
and feeling. The third — Fire, has sound, feeling and colour. The 
fourth — Water, has sound, feeling, colour, and taste* The fifth — Earth, 
has all the other properties, with the addition of smell. 

3 An audience of educated and discerning men. 

Lit. ' An audience, who are chiefly men of education and discernment.' 
Few could have been present at these dramatic representations excepting 
learned and educated men. The mass of the composition being in 
Sanskrit, would not have been intelligible to the vulgar and illiterate. 



230 NOTES. 



4 Sakoontald, or the Lost Ring. 
The literal title is ' Sakoontala recognised by the token or ring.' 

5 The present Summer season. 

Hindu poets divide the year into six seasons of two months each, viz. : 
1. Spring (Vasanta), beginning about the middle of March; or, accord- 
ing to some, February. 2. Summer (Grishma). 3. Rains (Varsha). 4. 
Autumn (Sarad). 5. Winter (Hemanta). 6. Dews (Sis'ira). Prac- 
tically, however, there are only three seasons in India. 1. The hot sea- 
son. 2. The rains. 3. The cold weather. In Lower Bengal and Behar, 
the first of these seasons begins in March, the second in June, and the 
third in November. The temperature of the cold season is highly 
exhilarating,, and the climate is then superior to that of any portion of 
the English year. In Calcutta, this season continues for about three 
months ; in Upper India, for about five ; and in the Panjab for about 
seven. The rains in Bengal Proper are more violent and protracted than 
in Hindustan and the Panjab. In the latter country they hardly last for 
more than two months, and even then only fall at intervals. Plays were 
acted on solemn and festive occasions, on lunar holidays, and especially 
at the changes of the seasons. 

6 Of fragrant Pdtalas. 
The Patala or trumpet-flower ; Bignonia suave-olens. 

7 With siveet Sirisha flowers. 
The flowers of the Acacia Sirisha were used by the Hindu women as 
ear-ornaments. 

8 King Bushy ant a. 
For the genealogy of King Dushyanta see Introduction, page xxiv. 

9 That wields the trident. 
Siva is called Pinakin, that is, •armed with a trident; ' or, according 
to some, a bow named Pinaka. Siva, not being invited to Daksha's 



NOTES. 231 



sacrifice, was so indignant, that, with his wife, he suddenly presented 
himself, confounded the sacrifice, dispersed the gods, and chasing Yajna, 
'the lord of sacrifice,' who fled in the form of a deer, overtook and 
decapitated him. 

10 Their waving plumes, that late 

Fluttered above their brows, are motionless. 
The Chamari, or chowrie, formed of the white bushy tail of the Yak, 
or Bos grunnieyis, was placed as an ornament between the ears of horses, 
like the plume of the war-horse of chivalry. The velocity of the chariot 
caused it to lose its play, and appear fixed in one direction, like a flag 
borne rapidly against the wind. 

11 The steeds of Indra and the Sun. 

That is, the speed of the chariot resembled that of the "Wind and the 
Sun. Indra was the god of the firmament or atmosphere ; — the Jupiter 
Tonans of Hindu mythology, — and presided over the forty-nine "Winds. 
He has a heaven of his own (Swarga), of which he is the lord ; and, 
although inferior to the three great deities of Hindu mythology (Brahma, 
Yishnu, and Siva), he is chief of the secondary gods. The Hindus 
represent the Sun as seated in a chariot, drawn by seven green horses, 
having before him a lovely youth without legs, who acts as his charioteer, 
and who is Aruna, or the Dawn personified. 

12 Turn's race. 

See Dushyanta's pedigree detailed at page xxiv of the Introduction. 

13 The great sage Kamva. 

The sage Kanwa was a descendant of Kas'yapa, whom the Hindus 
consider to have been the father of the inferior gods, demons, man, fish, 
reptiles, and all animals, by his twelve wives. Kanwa was the chief of a 
number of devotees, or hermits, who had constructed a hermitage on the 
banks of the river Malini, and surrounded it with gardens and groves, 



232 NOTES. 



where penitential rites were performed, and animals were reared for 
sacrificial purposes, or for the amusement of the inmates. There is 
nothing new in asceticism. The craving after self -righteousness, and the 
desire of acquiring merit hy self-mortification, is an innate principle of 
the human heart, and ineradicahle even by Christianity. Witness the 
monastic institutions of the Eomish Church, of which Indian penance- 
groves were the type. The Superior of a modern Convent is hut the 
anti-type of Kanwa ; and what is Romanism but humanity developing 
itself in some of its most inveterate propensities ? 

11 He has gone to Soma-tirtha. 
A place of pilgrimage in the west of India, on the coast of Gujarat, 
near the temple of Somanath, or Soninat, made notorious by its gates, 
which were brought back from Ghazni by Lord Ellenborough's orders in 
1842, and are now to be seen in the arsenal at Agra. These places of 
pilgrimage were generally fixed on the bank of some sacred stream, or in 
the vicinity of some holy spring. The word tirtha is derived from a 
Sanskrit root, fri, ' to cross,' implying that the river has to be passed 
through, either for the washing away of sin. or extrication from some 
adverse destiny. Thousands of devotees still flock to the most celebrated 
Tirthas on the Ganges, at Benares, Haridwar, etc. 

15 Ingudi. 
A tree, commonly called Ingua, or Jiyaputa, from the fruit of which 
oil was extracted, which the devotees used for their lamps and for oint- 
ment. One synonym for this tree is tdpasa-taru, ' the anchorite's tree.' 

16 Bark-woven vests. 
Dresses made of bark, worn by ascetics, were washed in water, and then 
suspended to dry on the branches of trees. 

17 By deep canals. 
It was customary to dig trenches round the roots of trees, to collect 
the rain-water. 



NOTES. 233 



18 This throbbing arm. 
A quivering sensation in the right arm was supposed by the Hindus to 
prognosticate union with a beautiful woman. Throbbings of the arm or 
eyelid, if felt on the right side, were omens of good fortune in men ; if 
on the left, bad omens. The reverse was true of women. 

19 The hard acacia's stem. 
The Sami tree, a kind of acacia [Acacia Sumo), the wood of which is 
very hard, and supposed by the Hindus to contain fire. 

20 The lotus. 
This beautiful plant, the varieties of which, white, blue, and red, are 
numerous, bears some resemblance to our water-lily. It is as favourite a 
subject of allusion and comparison with Hindu poets as the rose is with 
Persian. 

21 With the Saivala entwined. 

The Saivala (Vallisneria) is an aquatic plant, which spreads itself over 
ponds, and interweaves itself with the lotus. The interlacing of its 
stalks is compared in poetry to braided hair. 

23 Yon Kesara tree. 
The Kes'ara tree (Mimusops elengi) is the same as the Bakula, frequent 
mention of which is made in some of the Puranas. It bears a strong- 
smelling flower, which, according to Sir "W. Jones, is ranked among the 
flowers of the Hindu paradise. The tree is very ornamental in pleasure- 
grounds. 

23 Would that my union with her were permissible. 
A Brahman might marry a woman of the military or kingly class next 
below him, and the female offspring of such a marriage would belong to 
a mixed caste, and might be lawfully solicited in marriage by a man of the 
military class. But if Sakoontala were a pure Brahmani woman, both on 
the mother's and father's side, she would be ineligible as the wife of a 



234 NOTES. 



Kshatriya king. Dushyanta discovers afterwards that she was, in fact, 
the daughter of the great Vis'wamitra (see note 27), who was of the same 
caste as himself, though her mother was the nymph Menaka. 

24 I trust all is well with your devotional rites. 
This was the regular formula of salutation addressed to persons 
engaged in religious exercises. 

23 This water that we have brought with us will szrve to bathe our guest's feet. 

"Water for the feet is one of the first things invariahly provided for a 
guest in all Eastern countries. Compare Genesis xxiv. 32 ; Luke vii. 44. 
If the guest were a Brahman, or a man of rank, a respectful offering 
(argha) of rice, fruit, and flowers was next presented. In fact, the rites 
of hospitality in India were enforced hy very stringent regulations. The 
observance of them ranked as one of the five great sacraments, and no 
punishment was thought too severe for one who violated them. If a 
guest departed unhonoured from a house, his sins were to be transferred 
to the householder, and all the merits of the householder were to be 
transferred to him. 

26 Sapta-parna tree. 

A tree having seven leaves on a stalk (Echites scholaris). 

27 Viswdmitra, whose family name is Kausika. 

In the Ramayana, the great sage Vis'wamitra (both king and saint), 
who raised himself by his austerities from the regal to the Brahmanical 
caste, is said to be the son of Gadhi, King of Kanuj, grandson of Kus'a- 
natha, and great-grandson of Kus'ika or Kus'a. On his accession to the 
throne, in the room of his father Gadhi, in the course of a tour through 
his dominions, he visited the hermitage of the sage Vas'ishtha, where the 
Cow of Plenty, a cow granting all desires, excited his cupidity. He 
offered the sage untold treasures for the cow ; but being refused, prepared 
to take it by force. A long war ensued between the king and the sage 



NOTES. 235 



(symbolical of the struggles between the military and Brahmanical 
which ended in the defeat of Vis'wamitra, whose vexation was such, that 
he devoted himself to austerities in the hope of attaining the condition of 
a Brahman. The Ramayana recounts how, by gradually increasing the 
rigour of his penance through thousands of years, he successively earned 
the title of Royal Saint, Saint, Great Saint, and Brahman Saint. It was 
not till he had gained this last title that Vas'ishtha consented to acknow- 
ledge his equality with himself, and ratify his admission into the Brah- 
manical state. It was at the time of Vis'wamitra's advancement to the 
rank of a Sage, and whilst he was still a Kshatriya, that Indra, jealous of 
his increasing power, sent the nymph Menaka to seduce him from his 
life of mortification and continence. The Ramayana records his surrender 
to this temptation, and relates that the nymph was his companion in the 
hermitage for ten years, but does not allude to the birth of Sakoontala. 
during that period. 

28 The inferior gods, I am aivare, are jealous. 

According to the Hindu system, Indra and the other inferior deities 
were not the possessors of Swarga, or heaven, by indefeasible right. 
They accordingly viewed with jealousy, and even alarm, any extraordinary 
persistency by a human being in acts of penance, as it raised him to a level 
with themselves ; and, if carried beyond a certain point, enabled him to 
dispossess them of Paradise. Indra was therefore the enemy of excessive 
self-mortification, and had in his service numerous nymphs who were 
called his 'weapons,' and whose business it was to impede by their 
seductions the devotion of holy men. 

29 Gautami. 

The name of the matron or superior of the female part of the society of 
hermits. Every association of religious devotees seems to have included 
a certain number of women, presided over by an elderly and venerable 
matron, whose authority resembled that of an abbess in a convent of nuns. 



236 NOTES. 



30 Kusa-grass. 

This grass was held sacred by the Hindus, and was abundantly used 
in all their religious ceremonies. Its leaves are very long, and taper to a 
sharp needle-like point, of which the extreme acuteness was proverbial ; 
whence the epithet applied to a clever man, ' Sharp as the point of Kus'a- 
grass.' Its botanical name is Toa cynosuro'ides. 

31 Kuruvaka. 

A species of Jhinti or Baiieria, with purple flowers, and covered with 
sharp prickles. 

32 The jester. 

See an account of this character in the Introduction, page xxi. 

33 We have nothing to eat but roast game. 
The Indian game is often very dry and flavourless. 

34 Attended by the Yavana women. 

Who these women were has not been accurately ascertained. Yavana 
is properly Arabia, but is also a name applied to Greece. The Yavana 
women were therefore either natives of Arabia or Greece, and their busi- 
ness was to attend upon the king, and take charge of his weapons, espe- 
cially his bow and arrows. Professor H. H. Wilson, in his translation of 
the Yikramorvas'i, where the same word occurs (Act Y., p. 261), remarks 
that Tartarian or Bactrian women may be intended. 

35 In the disc of crystal. 

That is, the sun-gem (Surya-kdnta, ' beloved by the sun,') a shining 
stone resembling crystal. Professor Wilson calls it a fabulous stone with 
fabulous properties, and mentions another stone, the moon-gem [chandra- 
kdnta). It may be gathered from this passage that the sun-stone was a 
kind of glass lens, and that the Hindus were not ignorant of the properties 
of this instrument at the time when ' Sakoontala' was written. 



NOTES. 237 



35 Some falling blossom of the jasmine. 
The jasmine here intended was a kind of double jasmine with a very 
delicious perfume, sometimes called ' Arabian jasmine ' (Jasminum zambac) . 
It was a delicate plant, and, as a creeper, would depend on some other 
tree for support. The Arka, or sun-tree (Gigantic Asclepias : Calotropis 
gigantea), on the other hand, was a large and vigorous shrub. Hence the 
former is compared to Sakoontala, the latter to the sage Kanwa. 

37 The mellowed fruit 

Of virtuous actions in some former birth. 
The doctrine of the transmigration of the soul from one body to 
another is an essential dogma of the Hindu religion, and connected with 
it is the belief in the power which every human being possesses of laying 
up for himself a store of merit by good deeds performed in the present or 
former births. Indeed the condition of every person is supposed to derive 
its character of happiness or misery, elevation or degradation, from the 
virtues or vices of previous states of being. The consequences of actions 
in a former birth are called vipdka ; they may be either good or bad, but 
are rarely unmixed with evil taint. In the present comparison, however, 
they are described as pure and unalloyed. "With reference to the first 
four lines of this stanza, compare Catullus, Carmen Nuptiale, verse 39. 
' Ut flos in septis secretus nascitur hortis, 
Ignotus pecori, nullo contusus aratro, 
Quern mulcent aurae, firmat sol, educat imber : 
Multi ilium pueri, multae optavere puellae : 
Idem quurn tenui carptus defioruit ungui, 
Nulli ilium pueri, nullae optavere puellae : 
Sic virgo, dum intacta rnanet,' etc. 

33 The sixth part of their grain. 
According "to Manu, a king might take a sixth part of liquids, flowers, 
roots, fruit, grass, etc. ; but, even though dying with want, he was not to 
receive any tax from a Brahman learned in the Yedas. 



NOTES. 



39 A title only one degree removed from that of a Saint. 

Dusbyanta was a Rajarshi ; that is, a man of the military class 
■who had attained the rank of Royal Sage or Saint by the practice of 
religious austerities. The title of Royal or Imperial Saint was only one 
degree inferior to that of Saint. Compare note 27. 
40 Chanted by inspired bards. 

Or celestial minstrels, called Gandharbas. These beings were the 
musicians of Indra's heaven, and their business was to amuse the inhabit- 
ants of Swarga by singing the praises of gods, saints, or heroes. Compare 
note 11. 

41 In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell. 

Indra and the other inferior gods (compare note 11) were for ever 
engaged in hostilities with their half-brothers, the demons called Daityas, 
who were the giants or Titans of Hindu mythology. On such occasions 
the gods seem to have depended very much upon the assistance they 
received from mortal heroes. 

42 Evil demons are disturbing our sacrificial rites. 

The religious rites and sacrifices of holy men were often disturbed by 
certain evil spirits or goblins called Rakshasas, who were the determined 
enemies of piety and devotion. No great sacrifice or religious ceremony 
was ever carried on without an attempt on the part of these demons to 
impede its celebration ; and the most renowned saints found it necessary 
on such occasions to acknowledge their dependence on the strong arm of 
the military class, by seeking the aid of warriors and heroes. The 
inability of holy men, who had attained the utmost limit of spiritual 
power, to cope with the spirits of evil, and the superiority of physical 
force in this respect, is very remarkable. 

43 Vishnu. 

Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three principal gods. He 
became incarnate in various forms for the good of mortals, and is the 
great enemy of the demons. 



NOTES. 239 



44 Like king Trisanku. 

The story of this monarch is told in the Ramayana. He is there 
described as a just and pious prince of the solar race, who aspired to cele- 
brate a great sacrifice, hoping thereby to ascend to heaven in his mortal 
body. After various failures, he had recourse to Vis'wamitra, who 
undertook to conduct the sacrifice, and invited all the gods to be present. 
They, however, refused to attend ; upon which the enraged Vis'wamitra, 
by his own power, transported Tris'anku to the skies, whither he had no 
sooner arrived than he was hurled down again by Indra and the gods ; 
but being arrested in his downward course by the sage, he remained 
suspended between heaven and earth, forming a constellation in the 
southern hemisphere. 

45 Ointment of TJsira-root. 

The root of a fragrant grass [Andropogon muricatum), from which a 
cooling ointment was made. 

46 The very breath of his nostrils. 
Compare Lam. iv. 20. ' The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of 
the Lord, was taken.' 

47 God of the flowery shafts. 
The Hindu Cupid, or god of love (Kama), is armed with a bow made 
of sugar-cane, the string of which consists of bees. He has five arrows, 
each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce the heart through 
the five senses; and his favourite arrow is pointed with the chuta, or 
mango-flower. 

49 U'en now in thy unbodied essence lurks 

The fire of Siva's anger. 

The story is thus told in the Eamayana. Cupid (Kama) once 

approached Siva that he might influence him with love for his wife, 

Parvati. Siva happened then to be practising austerities, and intent on 

a vow of chastity. He therefore cursed the god of love in a terrible voice, 



240 NOTES. 



and at the same time a flash from his eye caused the god's body to shrivel 
into ashes. Thus Cupid was made incorporeal, and from that time was 
called ' the bodiless one.' 

49 Like the flame, 

That ever hidden in the secret depths 
Of ocean, smoulders there unseen. 
This submarine fire was called Aurva, from the following fable. The 
Rishi TJrva, who had gained great power by his austerities, was pressed 
by the gods and others to perpetuate his race. He consented, but 
warned them that his offspring would consume the world. Accordingly, 
he created from his thigh a devouring fire, which, as soon as it was pro- 
duced, demanded nourishment, and would have destroyed the whole earth, 
had not Brahma appeared and assigned the ocean as its habitation, and 
the waves as its food. The spot where it entered the sea was called ' the 
mare's mouth.' Doubtless the story was invented to suit the phenomenon 
of some marine volcano, which may have exhaled through the water 
bituminous inflammable gas, and which, perhaps in the form of a horse's 
mouth, was at times visible above the sea. 

50 Who on his 'scutcheon bears the monster -flsh. 
The Hindu Cupid is said to have subdued a marine monster, which 
was, therefore, painted on his banner. 

61 The graceful undulation of her gait. 
Hansa-gdmini, 'walking like a swan,' was an epithet for a graceful 
woman. The Indian law-giver, Manu, recommends that a Brahman 
should choose for his wife a young maiden, whose gait was like that of 
a phoenicopter, or flamingo, or even like that of a young elephant. The 
idea in the original is, that the weight of her hips had caused the peculiar 
appearance observable in the print of her feet. Largeness of the hips was 
considered a great beauty in Hindu women, and would give an undulatory 
motion to their walk. 



NOTES. 241 



62 The Mddhavi. 
A large and beautiful creeper {Gartner a racemosa), bearing white, 
fragrant flowers, to which constant allusion is made in Sanskrit plays. 

63 Fines to be united with the Moon. 

A complete revolution of the moon, with respect to the stars, being 
made in twenty-seven days, odd hours, the Hindus divide the heavens 
into twenty-seven constellations (asterisms) or lunar stations, one of which 
receives the moon for one day in each of his monthly journeys. As the 
Moon, Chandra, is considered to be a masculine deity, the Hindus fable 
these twenty-seven constellations as his wives, and personify them as the 
daughters of Daksha. Of these twenty-seven wives, twelve of whom give 
names to the twelve months, Chandra is supposed to show the greatest 
affection for the fourth, Eohini ; but each of the others, and amongst them 
Yisakha, is represented as jealous of this partiality, and eager to secure 
the Moon's favour for herself. Dushyanta probably means to compare 
himself to the Moon (he being of the Lunar race) and Sakoontala to 
Yisakha. 

64 Checks its fail. 

Owing to emaciation and disuse of the bow, the callosities on the 
fore-arm, usually caused by the bow-string, were not sufficiently prominent 
to prevent the bracelet from slipping down from the wrist to the elbow, 
when the arm was raised to support the head. This is a favourite idea 
with Kalidasa to express the attenuation caused by love. 

55 j^ nU ptial rites prevail. 
A marriage without the usual ceremonies is called Gandharva. It was 
supposed to be the form of marriage prevalent among the nymphs of 
Indra's heaven. In the 3rd Book of Manu (v. 22), it is included among 
the various marriage rites, and is said to be an union proceeding entirely 
from love, or mutual inclination, and concluded without any religious 
services, and without consulting relatives. It was recognised as a legal 

16 



242 NOTES. 



marriage by Manu and other law-givers, though it is difficult to say in 
what respect it differed from unlawful cohabitation. 

56 The loving birds doomed by fate to nightly separation. 

That is, the male and female of the Chakravaka, commonly called 
Chakwa and Chakwi, or Brahmani duck {Anas casarca). These birds 
associate together during the day, and are, like turtle-doves, patterns of 
connubial affection : but the legend is, that they are doomed to pass the 
night apart, in consequence of a curse pronounced upon them by a saint 
whom they had offended. As soon as night commences, they take up 
their station on the opposite banks of a river, and call to each other in 
piteous cries. The Bengalis consider their flesh to be a good medicine 
for fever. 

57 The great sage Durvdsas. 

A Saint or Muni, represented by the Hindu poets as excessively choleric 
and inexorably severe. The Puranas and other poems contain frequent 
accounts of the terrible effects of his imprecations on various occasions, 
the slightest offence being in his eyes deserving of the most fearful 
punishment. On one occasion he cursed Indra, merely because his elephant 
let fall a garland he had given to this god ; and in consequence of this 
imprecation all plants withered, men ceased to sacrifice, and the gods were 
overcome in their wars with the demons. 

58 Propitiatory offering. 
Compare note 25. 

59 His blushing charioteer. 
Compare note 11. 

60 Night-loving lotus. 

Some species of the lotus, especially the white esculent kind, open 
their petals during the night, and close them during the day, whence the 
moon is often called the ' lover, or lord of the lotuses.' 



NOTES. 243 



61 The very centre of the sacred fire. 

Fire was an important object of veneration with the Hindus, as with 
the ancient Persians. Perhaps the chief worship recommended in the 
Yedas is that of Fire and the Sun. The holy fire was deposited in a 
hallowed part of the house, or in a sacred building, and kept perpetually 
burning. Every morning and evening, oblations were offered to it by 
dropping clarified butter into the flame, accompanied with prayers and 
invocations. 

62 As in the sacred tree the mystic fire. 

Literally, ' as the Sami-tree is pregnant with fire.' The legend is, 
that the goddess Parvati, being one day under the influence of love, reposed 
on a trunk of this tree, whereby a sympathetic warmth was generated in 
the pith or interior of the wood, which ever after broke into a sacred 
flame on the slightest attrition. 

63 Mastindpur. 
The ancient Delhi, situated on the Ganges, and the capital of Dushyanta. 
Its site is about fifty miles from the modern Delhi, which is on the Jumna. 

64 E'en as Yaydti Sarmishtha adored. 
Sarmishtha was the daughter of Yrisha-parvan, king of the demons, 
and wife of Tayati, son of iSahusha, one of the princes of the Lunar dynasty, 
and ancestor of Dushyanta. Puru was the son of Yayati, by Sarmishtha. 

65 And for whose encircling bed, 
Sacred Kid a -grass is spread. 
At a sacrifice, sacred fires were lighted at the four cardinal points, and 
Kus'a-grass was scattered around each fire. 

66 Koil. 
The Koil, or Kokil, is the Indian cuckoo. It is sometimes called 
Parabhrita ('nourished by another'), because the female is known to 
leave her eggs in the nest of the crow to be hatched. The bird is as great 



244 NOTES. 



a favourite with Indian poets as the nightingale with European. One of 
its names is 'Messenger of Spring.' Its note is a constant subject of 
allusion, and is described as beautifully sweet, and, if heard on a journey, 
indicative of good fortune. Everything, however, is beautiful by com- 
parison. The song of the Koil is not only very dissimilar, but very 
inferior to that of the nightingale. 

67 The peacock on the lawn 

Ceases its dance. 

The Indian peacock is very restless, especially at the approach of 
rain, in which it is thought to take delight. Its circular movements are a 
frequent subject of allusion with Hindu poets, and are often by them 
compared to dancing. 

68 The moonlight of the grove. 

The name of Sakoontala's favourite jasmine, spoken of in the 1st Act. 
Seepage 17 of this volume. 

69 Fig-tree. 

Not the Banyan-tree [Ficus Indica), nor the Pippala (Ficus religiosa) 
but the Glomerous Fig-tree {Ficus glomerata), which yields a resinous 
milky juice from its bark, and is large enough to afford abundant shade. 

70 The poor female ChaJcravdlca. 

Compare note 56. 

71 Like a young tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in the 
western mountains. 

The sandal is a large kind of myrtle with pointed leaves (Sirium 
myrtifolium). The wood affords many highly esteemed perfumes, un- 
guents, etc., and is celebrated for its delicious scent. It is chiefly found 
on the slopes of the Malaya mountain or "Western G-hauts on the Malabar 
coast. The roots of the tree are said to be infested with snakes. Indeed 



NOTES. 245 



it seems to pay dearly for the fragrance of its wood : ' The root is infested 
by serpents, the blossoms by bees, the branches by monkeys, the summit 
by bears. In short, there is not a part of the sandal-tree that is not occu- 
pied by the vilest impurities.' — Hitopades'a, terse 162. 

72 The calm seclusion of thy former home. 

' "When the father of a family perceives his own wrinkles and grey hair, 
committing the care of his wife to his sons, or accompanied by her, let 
him repair to the woods and become a hermit.' — Manu, vi. 2. It was 
usual for kings, at a certain time of life, to abdicate the throne in favour 
of the heir-apparent, and pass the remainder of their days in seclusion. 

73 A frequent offering to our household gods. 

This was an offering {ball) in honour of those spiritual beings called 
4 household deities,' which were supposed to hover round and protect houses. 
It was made by throwing up into the air in some part of the house 
(generally at the door) the remains of the morning and evening meal of 
rice or grain, uttering at the same time a mantra, or prayer. 

74 In other states of being. 

Dim recollections of occurrences in former states of existence are sup- 
posed occasionally to cross the mind. Compare note 37. 

75 The Chamberlain* 

The attendant on the women's apartment. lie is generally a Brahman, 
and usually appears in the plays as a tottering and decrepit old man, 
leaning on his staff of office. 

76 The king of serpents on his thousand heads. 

A mythological serpent, the personification of eternity, and king of the 
Nagas, or snakes, who inhabit the lowermost of the seven infernal regions, 
His body formed the couch of Yishnu, reposing on the waters of Chaos, 



246 NOTES. 



whilst his thousand heads were the god's canopy. He is also said to 
uphold the world on one of his heads. 

77 The chamber of the consecrated fire. 

Compare note 61. 

78 Two heralds. 

These heralds were introduced into Hindu plays something in the 
same manner as a Chorus ; and, although their especial duty was to 
announce, in measured verse, the periods of the day, and particularly the 
fixed divisions into which the king's day was divided, yet the strain 
which they poured forth frequently contained allusions to incidental cir- 
cumstances. The royal office was no sinecure. From the Das'a-kumara, 
it appears that the day and night were each divided into eight portions 
of one hour and a half, reckoned from sun-rise ; and were thus distri- 
buted: — Day — 1. The king, being dressed, is to audit accounts; 2. He is 
to pronounce judgment in appeals.; 3. He is to breakfast; 4. He is to 
receive and make presents ; 5, He is to discuss political questions with 
his ministers ; 6. He is to amuse himself ; 7. He is to review his troops ; 
8. He is to hold a military council. — Night — 1. He is to receive the 
reports of his spies and envoys ; 2. He is to sup or dine ; 3. He is to 
retire to rest after the perusal of some sacred work ; 4 and 5. He is. to 
sleep; 6. He is to rise and purify himself; 7. He is to hold a private 
consultation with his ministers, and instruct his officers; 8. He is to 
attend upon the Purohita or family priest, for the performance of religious 
ceremonies. See Wilson's Hindu Theatre^ vol. i., p, 209. 

79 Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid. 
Compare note 18. 

80 The protector of the four classes of the people, the guardian of the 
four orders of the priesthood. 

The most remarkable feature in the Hindu social system, as depicted 
in the plays, was the division of the people into four classes or castes : — 



NOTES. 247 



1st. The sacerdotal, consisting of the Brahmans. — 2nd. The military, con- 
sisting of fighting men, and including the king himself and the royal 
family. This class enjoyed great privileges, and must have been practically 
the most powerful. — 3rd. The commercial, including merchants and 
husbandmen. — 4th. The servile, consisting of servants and slaves. — Of 
these four divisions the first alone has been preserved in its purity to the 
present day, although the Rajputs claim to be the representatives of the 
second class. The others have been lost in a multitude of mixed castes 
formed by intermarriage, and bound together by similarity of trade or 
occupation. With regard to the sacerdotal class, the Brahmans, who 
formed it, were held to be the chief of all human beings ; they were supe- 
rior to the king, and their lives and property were protected by the most 
stringent laws. They w.ere to divide their lives into four quarters, during 
which they passed through the four orders of the priesthood, viz., as 
religious students, as householders, as anchorites, and as religious 
mendicants. 

81 That he is pleased ivith ill-assorted ten ions. 
The god Brahma seems to have enjoyed a very unfortunate notoriety 
as taking pleasure in ill-assorted marriages, and encouraging them by his 
own example in the case of his own daughter. 

82 iSachi's sacred pool near iSakrdvatdra. 
Sakra is a name of the god Indra, and Sakravatara is a sacred place 
of pilgrimage where he descended upon earth. Sachi is his wife, to whom 
a tirtha, or holy bathing-place, was probably consecrated at the place 
where Sakoontala had performed her ablutions. Compare note 14. 

83 The xcihj KdiL 
Compare note 66. 

84 With the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his hand. 
When the lines of the right hand formed themselves into a circle, it 
was thought to be the mark of a future hero or emperor. 



248 NOTES. 



85 A most refined occupation, certainly ! 
Spoken ironically. The occupation of a fisherman, and, indeed, any 
occupation which involved the sin of slaughtering animals, was considered 
despicable. Fishermen, butchers, and leather-sellers, were equally objects 
of scorn. In Lower Bengal the castes of Jaliyas and Bagdis, who live by 
fishing, etc., are amongst the lowest, and eke out a precarious livelihood 
by thieving and dacoity. 

86 And he should not forsake it. 

The great Hindu law-giver is very peremptory in restricting special 
occupations (such as fishing, slaughtering animals, basket-making) to the 
mixed and lowest castes. 'A man of the lowest caste, who, through 
covetousness, lives by the acts of the highest, let the king strip of all his 
wealth and banish. His own business, though badly performed, is pre- 
ferable to that of another, though well performed.' — Manu, x. 96. The 
sacrifice of animals was enjoined on the priests of the god Siva only. 

87 Carp. 
That is, the Eohita, or Eohi (red) fish (Cyprinus rohita), a kind ef 
carp found in lakes and ponds in the neighbourhood of the Ganges. It 
grows to the length of three feet, is very voracious, and its flesh, though 
it often has a muddy taste, is edible. Its back is olive-coloured, its belly of 
a golden hue, its fins and eyes red. This fish is often caught in tanks in 
Lower Bengal of the weight of twenty-five or thirty pounds. 



88 I long to begin binding the flowers round his 

It is evident from the Malati-Madhava, and other plays, that a victim, 
about to be offered as a sacrifice, had a wreath of flowers bound round the 
head. 

89 The great vernal festival. 

In celebration of the return of Spring, and said to be in honour of 
Krishna, and of his son Kamadeva, the god of Love. It is identified 



NOTES. 249 



with the Holi or Dola-yatra, the Saturnalia, or rather, Carnival of the 
Hindus, when people of all conditions take liberties with each other, 
especially by scattering red powder and coloured water on the clothes of 
persons passing in the street, as described in the play called Ratnavali, where 
the crowd are represented as using syringes *and waterpipes. Flowers, and 
especially the opening blossoms of the mango, would naturally be much 
employed for decoration at this festival, as an offering to the god of Love. 
It was formerly held on the full moon of the month Chaitra, or about the 
beginning of April, but is now celebrated on the full moon of Phalguna, 
or about the beginning of March. The other great Hindu festival, held 
in the autumn, about October, is called Durga-puja, being in honour of 
the goddess Durga. The Holi festival is now so disfigured by unseemly 
practices and coarse jests that it is reprobated by the respectable natives, 
and will, probably, in the course of time, either die out or be prohibited 
by legal enactment. 

90 Am not I named after the Ko'il ? 

Compare note 66. 

91 Thy Jive unerring shafts. 

Compare note 47. 

92 The amaranth. 

That is, the Kuruvaka, either the crimson amaranth, or a purple species 
of Barter ia. 

93 My finger burning ivith the glow of love. 

However offensive to our notions of good taste, it is certain that, in 
Hindu erotic poetry, a hot hand is considered to be one of the signs of 
passionate love. Compare Othello, Act III., Scene 4. ' Give me your 
hand : this band is moist, my lady — hot, hot, and moist.' 

94 The airy vapours of the desert. 
A kind of mirage floating over waste places, and appearing at a distance 
like water. Travellers and some animals, especially deer, are supposed to 
be attracted and deceived by it. 



250 NOTES. 



95 Himalaya. 

The name of this celebrated range of mountains is derived from two 
Sanskrit words, hima, 'ice,' or 'snow' (Lat. hiems), and dlaya, 'abode.' 

The pronunciation Himalaya is incorrect. 
¥ 
96 As Siva did the poison at the Deluge. 

At the churning of the ocean, after the Deluge, by the gods and demons, 
for the recovery or production of fourteen sacred things, a deadly poison 
called Kala-kiita, or Hala-hala, was generated, so virulent that it would 
have destroyed the world, had not the god Siva swallowed it. Its only 
effect was to leave a dark blue mark on his throat, whence his name Nila- 
kantha. This name is also given to a beautiful bird, not wholly unlike 
our jay, common in Bengal. 

97 Palace of clouds. 

The palace of King Dushyanta, so called because it was lofty as the 
clouds. 

98 The foreman of a guild belonging to Ayodhyd. 

The chief of a guild or corporation of artisans practising the same 
trade. Ayodhya, or the Invincible City, was the ancient capital of Rama- 
chandra, founded by Ikshwaku, the first of the Solar dynasty. It was 
situated on the river Sarayu in the north of India, and is now called Oude. 

99 My ancestors 

Must drink these glistening tears, the last libation. 

Oblations to the manes of the deceased were offered by the nearest 
surviving relatives soon after death ; and were repeated once or, according 
to some, twice in every year. They were supposed to be necessary to 
secure the residence of the souls of the dead in the world appropriated to 
the manes. The ceremony itself was called Sraddha, and generally con- 
sisted in offering a cake made of rice and milk, or in pouring out water, 



NOTES. 251 



or water and sesamum-seed mixed. These ceremonies still take place in 
India, and their celebration is marked by magnificent feasts, to which 
relations and a host of Brahmans are invited. A native who had grown 
rich unlawfully in the time of "Warren Hastings is known to have spent 
nine lakhs of rupees on his mother's Sraddha ; and large sums, though 
not, perhaps, equal to the above, are still spent on similar occasions by 
wealthy Hindus. 

100 The mother of the great Indra. 

That is Aditi, the wife of Kas'yapa, with whom, in their sacred retreat, 
Sakoontala was enjoying an asylum. 

101 Distinguishes the milk from worthless water. 

The Hindus imagine that the flamingo (a kind of swan) is the vehicle 
on which the god Brahma is home through the air ; and that this bird, 
being fond of the pulpy fibres of the water-lily, has been gifted by him 
■with the power of separating the milky from the watery portion of the 
juice contained in the stalk of that plant. 

103 Matali. 

The charioteer of Indra. In the pictures which represent this god 
mounted on his usual vehicle, an elephant (called Airavata), Matali is seen 
seated before him on the withers of the animal, acting as its driver. In 
the plays, however, Indra is generally represented borne in a chariot 
drawn by two horses, guided by Matali. 

103 Kdlanemi. 
A Daitya or demon, with a hundred arms and as many heads. 

104 Ndrada. 

A celebrated divine sage, usually reckoned among the ten patriarchs 
first created by Brahma. He acted as a messenger of the gods. 



252 NOTES. 



105 Tinged with celestial sandal from the breast. 

The breast of Indra was dyed yellow with a fragrant kind of sandal- 
wood (hari-chandana) ; and the garland, by rubbing against it, became 
tinged with the same colour. "Wreaths and garlands of flowers were much 
used by the Hindus as marks of honorary distinction, as well as for orna- 
ment on festive occasions. They were suspended round the neck. 

106 The ever-blooming tree of Nandana. 

That is, Mandara, one of the five ever-blooming trees of Nandana, or 
Swarga, Indra's heaven. The two most celebrated of these trees were the 
Parijata and the Kalpa-druma, or tree granting all desires. Each of the 
superior Hindu gods has a heaven, paradise, or elysium of his own. That 
of Brahm§, is called Brahma-loka, situate on the summit of Mount Meru ; 
that of Vishnu is Vaikuntha, on the Himalayas ; that of Siva and Kuvera 
is Kailasa, also on the Himalayas ; that of Indra is Swarga or Nandana. 
The latter, though properly on one of the points of Mount Meru, below 
Brahma's paradise, is sometimes identified with the sphere of the sky or 
heaven in general. 



The son of Indra by his favourite wife Paulomi or Sachi. 

108 The lion-man's terrific claws. 

Vishnu, in the monstrous shape of a creature half man, half lion 
(which was his fourth Avatar or incarnation), delivered the three worlds, 
that is to say, earth, heaven, and the lower regions, from the tyranny of 
an insolent demon called Hiranya-kas'ipu. 

109 jfr e j 0U r ne y in the path of Parivaha. 

The Hindus divide the heavens into seven Margas, paths or orbits, 
assigning a particular wind to each. The sixth of these paths is that of 



NOTES. 253 



the Great Bear, and its peculiar wind is called Parivaha. This wind is 
supposed to bear along the seven stars Ursa Major, and to propel the 
heavenly Ganges. 

110 The triple Ganges. 

The Ganges was supposed to take its rise in the toe of Vishnu (whence 
one of its names, Vishnu-padi) ; thence it flowed through the heavenly 
sphere, being borne along by the wind Parivaha, and identified with the 
Mandakini, or Milky "Way. Its second course is through the earth ; but 
the weight of its descent was borne by Siva's head, whence, after wander- 
ing among the tresses of his hair, it descended through a chasm in the 
Himalayas. Its third course is through Patala, or the lower regions, the 
residence of the Daityas and Nagas, and not to be confounded with 
Naraka, ' hell,' ' the place of punishment.' 

111 He spanned the heavens in his second stride. 

The story of Vishnu's second stride was this : — An Asura or Daitya, 
named Bali, had, by his devotions, gained the dominion of Heaven, Earth, 
and Patala. Vishnu undertook to trick him out of his power, and as- 
suming the form of a Vamana, or dwarf (his fifth Avatar) , he appeared 
before the giant and begged as a boon as much land as he could pace in 
three steps. This was granted : and the god immediately expanded him- 
self till he filled the world ; deprived Bali, at the first step, of Earth ; at 
the second, of Heaven ; but, in consideration of some merit, left Patala 
still under his rule. 

112 I" see the moisture-loving Chdtakas. 

The Chataka is a kind of Cuckoo (Cuculus Helanoleucus). The 
Hindus suppose that it drinks only the water of the clouds, and their 
poets usually introduce allusions to this bird in connexion with cloudy or 
rainy weather. 

113 Golden-peak. 

A sacred range of mountains lying among the Himalaya chain, and 
apparently identical with, or immediately adjacent to Kailasa, the paradise 



254 NOTES. 



of Kuvera, the god of wealth. It is here described as the mountain of the 
Kimpurushas, or servants of Kuvera. They are a dwarfish kind of monster, 
with the hody of a man and the head of a horse, and are otherwise called 
Einnara. 

114 Kasyapa. 

Kas'yapa was the son of Brahma's son, Marichi ; and was one of 
those Patriarchs (created hy Brahma to supply the universe with in- 
hahitants) who, after fulfilling their mission, retired from the world to 
practise penance. He was a progenitor on a magnificent scale, as he is 
considered to have heen the father of the gods, demons, man, fish, reptiles, 
and all animals, hy the thirteen daughters of Daksha. The eldest of the 
thirteen, his favourite wife, was Aditi, from whom were horn Indra and 
all the inferior gods, and particularly the twelve Adityas, or forms of the 
sun, which represent him in the several months of the year. From Diti, 
Danu, and others of the remaining twelve, came the Daityas, Danavas, 
and other demons. 

115 No sacred cord is twined. 

The serpent's skin was used hy the ascetic in place of the regular 
Brahmanical cord. This thread or cord, sometimes called the sacrificial 
cord, might be made of various substances, such as cotton, hempen or 
woollen thread, according to the class of the wearer ; and was worn over 
the left shoulder and under the right. The rite of investiture with this 
thread, which conferred the title of 'twice-born,' and corresponded in 
some respects with the Christian rite of baptism, was performed on youths 
of the first three classes (compare note 80), at ages varying from eight to 
sixteen, from eleven to twenty-two, and from twelve to twenty-four, 
respectively. At present the Brahmans alone, and a few who claim to 
be Kshatriyas, have a right to wear this thread. Not long since, a Kayath 
(or man of the writer caste) in Bengal, who attempted to claim it, was 
excommunicated. 



NOTES. 255 



116 And birds construct their nests within its folds. 

Such was the immovable impassiveness of this ascetic, that the ants 
had thrown np their mound as high as his waist without being disturbed, 
and birds had built their nests in his hair. 

117 And need no other nourishment. 

The Hindus imagine that living upon air is a proof of the highest 
degree of spirituality to which a man can attain. 

118 Aioka-tree. 

The As'oka {Jonesia Asoka) is one of the most beautiful of Indian 
trees. Sir "W. Jones observes that ' the vegetable world scarce exhibits a 
richer sight than an As'oka-tree in full bloom. It is about as high as an 
ordinary cherry-tree. The flowers are very large, and beautifully diversi- 
fied with tints of orange-scarlet, of pale yellow, and of bright orange, 
which form a variety of shades according to the age of the blossom.' 

119 And with his artless smiles 

Gladdens their hearts. 

Chezy is enraptured with this verse : ' . . strophe incomparable, 
que tout pere, ou plutot toute mere, ne pourra lire sans sentir battre son 
cceur, tant le poete a su y rendre, avec les nuances les plus delicates, 
1' expression vivante de l'amour maternel.' Compare Statius, Theb., 
book v., line 613. 

' Heu ubi siderei vultus ? ubi verba ligatis 
Imperfecta sonis ? risusque et murmura soli 
Intellecta mini ? ' 

120 It is against propriety to make too minute inquiries about the 
wife of another man. 

The Hindus were very careful to screen their wives from the curiosity 
of strangers; and their great law-giver, Manu, enjoined that married 



256 NOTES. 



•women should be cautiously guarded by their husbands in the inner 
apartments (antahpura) appropriated to women (called by the Muham- 
madans Haram, and in common parlance in India andar-mahdll) . The 
chief duty of a married woman's life seems to have been to keep as quiet 
as possible, to know as little as possible, to hear, see, and inquire about 
nothing; and above all, to avoid being herself the subject of conversation 
or inquiry ; in short, the sole end and object of her existence was to act 
as a good head-servant, yielding to her husband a servile obedience, 
regulating the affairs of his family, preparing his daily food, and superin- 
tending his household. (Manu, ix. 11, 16.) But notwithstanding the 
social restrictions to which women were subjected, even in the earlier 
periods of Indian history, it seems probable that they were not rigidly 
excluded from general society until after the introduction of Muham- 
madan customs into India. It appears from the plays that they were 
allowed to go into public on certain occasions ; they took part in bridal 
processions, and were permitted to enter the temples of the gods. 
Sakoontala appears in the court of King Dushyanta, and pleads her own 
cause : and Vasavadatta, in the ' Batnavali,' holds a conversation with 
her father's envoy. Even in later times the presence of men, other than 
husbands or sons, in the inner apartments, was far from being prohibited. 
See Wilson's ' Hindu Theatre,' xliii. 

121 _2"g r l Qn g h a i r 

Twined in a single braid. 

The Hindu women collect their hair into a single long braid as a sign 
of mourning, when their husbands are dead or absent for a long period. 

122 Shines forth from dim eclipse. 

The following is the Hindu notion of an eclipse : — A certain demon, 
which had the tail of a dragon, was decapitated by Vishnu at the churning 
of the ocean ; but, as he had previously tasted of the Amrit or nectar 
reproduced at that time, he was thereby rendered immortal, and his head 



NOTES. 2-57 



and tail, retaining their separate existence, were transferred to the stellar 
sphere. The head was called Balm, and became the cause of eclipses, by 
endeavouring at various times to swallow the sun and moon. So in the 
1 Hitopades'a,' line 192, the moon is said to be eaten by Balm. ^Vith 
regard to the love of the Moon for Bohini, the fourth lunar constellation, 
see note 53. 

123 All unadorned. 
That is. from the absence of colouring or paint. 

m The power of darkness. 
According to the Hindu philosophy there were three qualities or pro- 
perties incident to the state of humanity, viz. : 1. Sattwa, 'excellence' or 
♦goodness' (quiescence), whence proceed truth, knowledge, purity, etc. 
2. Hajas, 'passion' or 'foulness' (activity), which produces lust, pride, 
falsehood, etc., and is the cause of pain. 3. Tama-s, ' darkness ' (inertia), 
whence proceed ignorance, infatuation, delusion, mental blindness, etc. 

125 Children of Brahma & so & 

Kas'yapa and Aditi were the children of Maiichi and Daksha respec- 
tively, and these last were the sons of Brahma. 

126 The rider of the triple world. 
That is, Indra, lord of heaven, earth, and the lower regions. Compare 
notes 110, 113. 

127 Whom Vishnu, greater than tht :•:./-:>. :. 
Vishnu, as Narayana, or the Supreme Spirit, moved over the waters 
before the creation of the world, and from his navel came the lotus from 
which Brahma, or the Self- existent, sprang. As Vishnu, the Breserver, 
he became incarnate in various forms ; and chose Xas'yapa and Aditi, from 
whom all human beings were descended, as his medium of incarnation, 
especially in the Avatar in which he was called Upendra, ' Indra's younger 
brother." Hence it appears that the worshippers of Vishnu exalt him 
above the Creator. 

17 



258 NOTZS. 



128 The earth's seven sea-girt isles. 
According to the mythical geography of the Hindus, the earth con- 
sisted of seven islands, or rather insular continents, surrounded hy seven 
seas. That inhahited by men -was called Jambudwipa, and was in the 
centre, having in the middle of it the sacred mountain Meru or Sumeru, 
a kind of Mount Olympus, inhabited by the gods. About Jambu flowed 
the sea of salt-water which extends to the second Dwipa, called Plaksha, 
which is in its turn surrounded by a sea of sugar-cane juice. And so with 
the five other Dwipas, viz., Salmali, Kus'a, Krauncha, Saka and Pushkara, 
which are severally surrounded by the seas of wine, clarified butter, curds, 

milk, and fresh water. 

129 Bharata. 
The name Bharata is derived from the root bhri (fero) ' to support.' 
Many Indian princes were so named, but the most celebrated was this 
son of Dushyanta and Sakoontala, who so extended his empire that from 
him the whole of India was called Bharata-varsha or Bharata- varsha ; 
and whose descendants, the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, by their 
quarrels, formed the subject of the great epic poem called Mahabharata. 
The Hindus at the present day continue to call India by the name 

Bharata-varsha. 

130 The Sage Bharata. 

The Bharata here intended must not be confounded with the young 

prince. He was a holy sage, the director or manager of the gods' dramas, 

and inventor of theatrical representations in general. He wrote a work 

containing precepts and rules relating to every branch of dramatic 

writing, which appears to have been lost, but is constantly quoted by the 

commentators. 

131 Sarasivati. 
The wife of the god Brahma. She is the goddess of speech and 
eloquence, patroness of the arts and sciences, and inventress of the 
Sanskrit language. There is a festival still held in her honour for two 
days, about February in every year, when no Hindu will touch a pen or 
write a letter. The courts are all closed accordingly. 



KOTES. 259 



132 The purple self-existent god. 

Siva is usually represented as borne on a bull ; his colour, as well as 
that of the animal he rides, being white, to denote the purity of Justice, 
over which he presides. In his destroying capacity, he is characterized 
by the quality ' darkness,' and named Rudra, Kala, etc., when his colour 
is said to be purple or black. Some refer the epithet ' purple ' to the 
colour of his throat : compare note 98. Self-existent, although properly 
a name of Brahma, the Creator, is applied equally to Yishnu and Siva. 

133 Whose vital Energy. 

That is, Siva's wife, Parvati, who was supposed to personify his energy 
or active power. Exemption from further transmigration, and absorption 
into the divine soul, was the summum bonum of Hindu philosophy. 
Compare note 37. 

134 By my divine faculty of meditation. 

Celestial beings were endowed with a mental faculty (called pranid- 
hdna), which enabled them to arrive at the knowledge of present and 
future events. 

142 ^ roseate dye wherewith to stain 
The lady's feet. 

That is, the soles of her feet. It was customary for Hindu ladies to 
stain the soles of their feet of a red colour with the dye made from lac, a 
minute insect, bearing some resemblance to the cochineal, which punctures 
the bark of the Indian fig-tree, and surrounds itself with the milky 
resinous juice of that tree. This custom is alluded to in one of Paterson's 
Hindu odes — 

' The rose hath humbly bowed to meet, 

With glowing lips, her hallowed feet, 

And lent them all its bloom/ 
See 'Megha-duta' (Edit. Johnson), p. 32. 



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